Resumo

SANTA MARIA S, Mauricio  e  ROZO V, Sandra. Qualitative and quantitative analysis of firm informality in Colombia. Desarro. soc. [online]. 2009, n.63, pp.269-296. ISSN 0120-3584.

This document deepens the study of the determinants of firm informality in Colombia using both a quantitative and a qualitative approach. The former is carried out using the Cali and Yumbo Enterprise Census for the year 2005, which allowed, for the frst time, to analyze informality across firms of any size and avoid problems related to sampling. Estimations show that the incidence of informality among small firms (microempresas) is strikingly large and, almost as a rule, tends to disappear as firms grow. The qualitative analyses were carried out based on focus groups directed to informal and formal employers. They facilitated the identification of perceptions around this phenomenon, providing important "unobserved" clues as to why are they formal or informal. Based on these results some policy recommendations are derived, always directed at improving the balance of informality’s costs and benefits.

Palavras-chave : informality; firm informality; Colombia; cost-benefit.

        · resumo em Espanhol     · texto em Espanhol     · Espanhol ( pdf )