| ID | 191080 |
| Title Proper | Informality versus shadow economy |
| Other Title Information | reflecting on the first results of a manager’s survey in Kyrgyzstan |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Polese, Abel (et.al.) |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | This article is the first attempt to apply Putnis and Sauka's approach to direct measurement of the shadow economy through a survey of company managers in Central Asia. The results of the survey are used to calculate a shadow economy index for 2017 and 2018 in Kyrgyzstan, and to discuss the difference between direct and indirect methods in calculating the size of a shadow economy. We also propose a distinction between shadow economies and informality in general. While a shadow economy is usually understood to arise as a consequence of underreporting of income, we argue that informality is best understood as the aggregate of non-monetary and non-economic practices used in society. Applying this distinction to our case, we suggest that the origins of Kyrgyzstan's shadow economy are not only economic; rather social and cultural processes have had significant effects. This has implications for policy responses that address shadow economic activities. |
| `In' analytical Note | Central Asian Survey Vol.42, No.1; Mar 2023: p.149-170 |
| Journal Source | Central Asian Survey Vol: 42 No 1 |
| Key Words | Kyrgyzstan ; Survey ; Informality ; Shadow Economy |