Informality and Macroeconomic Volatility: do Credit Constraints Matter?

Publicado en

  • Journal of Economic Studies

Resumen

  • Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to study the implications of borrowing constraints characterizing the informal sector for macroeconomic volatility. Design/methodology/approach - – To this end, the author develops a simple dynamic stochastic general equilibrium model wherein registered activity not only is the basis to determine tax liabilities, but also serves as collateral for securing debts. Such a framework allows for computational experiments to analyze the effect of informality on aggregate fluctuations. Findings - – The experiments show that the credit-constrained informal sector does exert a significant influence on the cyclical volatility of consumption and investment. Originality/value - – There are not many studies addressing the implications of informal economic activities for macroeconomic fluctuations. This paper contributes to the literature by developing a theoretical model showing that credit constraints characterizing these activities might play a non-negligible role in explaining the cyclical volatility of some important aggregates.

fecha de publicación

  • 2015

Líneas de investigación

  • Credit Constraints
  • Informal Economy
  • Macroeconomic Volatility
  • Tax Evasion

Página inicial

  • 1095

Última página

  • 1111

Volumen

  • 42

Issue

  • 6