Is there demand for formality among informal firms? Evidence from microfirms in downtown Lima

Abstract

"Experimental data from microfirms in downtown Lima is exploited to analyse the demand for formality, i.e., obtaining an operating license. The results are paradoxical: most firms report greater disadvantages than advantages of being informal, yet when encouraged to obtain the license, only one out of four firms takes up the incentive. Thus, for some firms formalisation may not be desirable at any cost. This is likely to be associated with the recurrent costs of being formal, the low perceived value of the benefits of formalisation, and the limited growth perspectives of these firms." (author's abstract)