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Capital flight and development: An overview of concepts, methods, and data sources

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  • Niels Johannesen
  • Jukka Pirttilä

Abstract

This paper offers a critical review of the methods used to estimate the extent of capital flight and illicit financial flows from developing countries. The largest estimates in the literature are based on imperfect methods with a great margin for error. Emerging new studies have built on approaches that successfully isolate missing capital flows and wealth and attempt to address the causal impact of tax rates on capital flows.

Suggested Citation

  • Niels Johannesen & Jukka Pirttilä, 2016. "Capital flight and development: An overview of concepts, methods, and data sources," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2016-95, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    • Handle: RePEc:unu:wpaper:wp-2016-95
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    File URL: https://www.wider.unu.edu/sites/default/files/wp2016-95.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Niels Johannesen & Thomas Tørsløv & Ludvig Wier, 2016. "Are less developed countries more exposed to multinational tax avoidance? Method and evidence from micro-data," WIDER Working Paper Series 010a, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    2. Johannesen, Niels & Larsen, Dan Thor, 2016. "The power of financial transparency: An event study of country-by-country reporting standards," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 145(C), pages 120-122.
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    8. Jørgen Juel Andersen & Niels Johannesen & David Dreyer Lassen & Elena Paltseva, 2013. "Petro Rents, Political Institutions, and Hidden Wealth: Evidence from Bank Deposits in Tax Havens," EPRU Working Paper Series 2013-03, Economic Policy Research Unit (EPRU), University of Copenhagen. Department of Economics.
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    20. Niels Johannesen & Thomas Tørsløv & Ludvig Wier, 2016. "Are less developed countries more exposed to multinational tax avoidance? Method and evidence from micro-data," WIDER Working Paper Series 010b (Revised version May, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
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    Cited by:

    1. Petr Janský & Miroslav Palanský, 2019. "Estimating the scale of profit shifting and tax revenue losses related to foreign direct investment," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 26(5), pages 1048-1103, October.
    2. Emmanuel Gervais & Pierre Bui Quang, 2019. "How to identify “hidden securities assets” in the Balance of Payments: methods of Bank of France," IFC Bulletins chapters, in: Bank for International Settlements (ed.), Are post-crisis statistical initiatives completed?, volume 49, Bank for International Settlements.
    3. Iyabo Adeola Olanrele & Segun Subair Awode, 2020. "Development Aid and Human Capital Development in Nigeria: A Sector Level-Analysis," Asian Journal of Economics and Empirical Research, Asian Online Journal Publishing Group, vol. 7(1), pages 25-35.
    4. Alstadsæter, Annette & Johannesen, Niels & Le Guern Herry, Ségal & Zucman, Gabriel, 2022. "Tax evasion and tax avoidance," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 206(C).
    5. Cobham Alex & Davis William & Ibrahim Gamal & Sumner Andy, 2016. "Hidden Inequality: How Much Difference Would Adjustment for Illicit Financial Flows Make to National Income Distributions?," Journal of Globalization and Development, De Gruyter, vol. 7(2), pages 1-18, December.
    6. Johnny Flentø & Leonardo Santos Simao, 2022. "Illicit Financial Flows - Illicit drug trafficking and tax evasion," DERG working paper series 22-16, University of Copenhagen. Department of Economics. Development Economics Research Group (DERG).
    7. Reindl, Ilona & Tyran, Jean-Robert, 2021. "Equal opportunities for all? How income redistribution promotes support for economic inclusion," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 190(C), pages 390-407.
    8. Siranova, Maria & Tiruneh, Menbere Workie & Fisera, Boris, 2021. "Creating the illicit capital flows network in Europe – Do the net errors and omissions follow an economic pattern?," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 955-973.
    9. Jørgen Juel Andersen & Niels Johannesen & Bob Rijkers, 2022. "Elite Capture of Foreign Aid: Evidence from Offshore Bank Accounts," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 130(2), pages 388-425.
    10. Alstadsæter, Annette & Johannesen, Niels & Zucman, Gabriel, 2018. "Who owns the wealth in tax havens? Macro evidence and implications for global inequality," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 162(C), pages 89-100.
    11. Daniel Dujava & Maria Siranova, 2017. "Getting the Measures of Trade Misinvoicing Right: Bilateral Panel Data Approach," Working Papers wp98, Institute of Economic Research, Slovak Academy of Sciences, revised 20 Dec 2017.
    12. Petr Janský & Miroslav Palanský, 2019. "Estimating the scale of profit shifting and tax revenue losses related to foreign direct investment," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 26(5), pages 1048-1103, October.
    13. Dujava, Daniel & Siranova, Maria, 2022. "Is it me or you? A deeper insight into profile of misreporting economies," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 10-25.
    14. Heydari, Hassan & Jariani, Farzaneh, 2020. "Analyzing Effective Factors of Capital Outflow from the Middle East and North African Countries (MENA)," MPRA Paper 104547, University Library of Munich, Germany.

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