利用家庭调查和专业企业调查来衡量非正规企业

Policy Research Working Paper11119 Using Household Surveys and SpecializedEnterprise Surveys to Measure Informal Enterprises Akuffo AmankwahHibret B. MaemirPauline CastaingAmparo Palacios-LopezRichmond Attah-AnkomahDiego ZardettoDavid C. Francis Policy Research Working Paper11119 Abstract This paper compares two widely used methods for survey-ing informal enterprises: household surveys, which collectdata on enterprises through household interviews, andarea-based enterprise surveys, which directly target busi-nesses in specific geographic areas. By implementing bothsurvey approaches simultaneously in two urban centers inGhana, this study examines key differences and similaritiesin the characteristics of informal enterprises across thesecities. The analysis reveals substantial variation in estimatesof the number of informal enterprises between the two methods, with the household survey approach reportinga significantly higher count. The paper explores poten-tial reasons for these differences, focusing on design andimplementation factors. The findings also suggest that bothsurvey methods yield consistent statistics for characterizinginformal businesses and identifying factors that drive theirperformance. Characteristics such as bank account owner-ship, sector of operation (retail), phone usage, and operatingin a fixed premise outside the household are associated withhigher productivity across both surveys. The Policy Research Working Paper Series disseminates the findings of work in progress to encourage the exchange of ideas about developmentissues. An objective of the series is to get the findings out quickly, even if the presentations are less than fully polished. The papers carry thenames of the authors and should be cited accordingly. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this paper are entirely thoseof the authors. They do not necessarily represent the views of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/World Bank andits affiliated organizations, or those of the Executive Directors of the World Bank or the governments they represent. Using Household Surveys and Specialized Enterprise Surveys to Measure InformalEnterprises Akuffo Amankwah1, Hibret B. Maemir3, Pauline Castaing2, Amparo Palacios-Lopez1, RichmondAttah-Ankomah4, Diego Zardetto2, David C. Francis3 1Living Standards Measurement Study, Development Data Group, World Bank Group, Washington DC, USA.2Living Standards Measurement Study, Development Data Group, World Bank Group, Rome, Italy.3Enterprise Analysis Unit, World Bank Group, Washington DC, USA.4Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana Keywords:list-based household survey; area-based adaptive cluster sampling; informalsector enterprise survey; Ghana WB Thematic topics:Enterprise Surveys; Informal Sector. JEL Codes: D22; O17; M21. 1.Introduction In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), the informal sector is a prominent feature andmeans of livelihood, contributing 30%-70% of GDP and employing 20%-80% of the labor force(Ulyssea, 2020). This indicates that a large portion of economic activity in these countries operatesoutside regulatory frameworks and does not appear in official registration records. This could bein terms of the informal status of an enterprise or workers in formal firms being informal. As aresult, accurately measuring the informal sector presents significant challenges, hindering researchand limiting the scope for policy recommendations. To effectively inform policies and research inthis area, it is crucial to have data that accurately represent the informal sector. However, a numberof studies highlight methodological issues in estimating the size of the informal sector in LMICs(see Charmes, 2002; Hussmanns, 2004; Maligalig & Guerrero, 2008). This paper emphasizes theimportance of sampling and survey methods and their implications for characterizing andestimating informal enterprises using data from Ghana, a lower middle-income country. Two main survey approaches have been employed to characterize informal enterprises inLMICs (Hussmans, 2004; 2009). The first is household surveys (HS) (typically Labor ForceSurveys and multi-topic household/living standards surveys), which use clusters defined bypopulation census data, select a random sample of primary sampling units (PSUs), and list allhouseholds in those PSUs. A random sample of households are then selected and interviewed ineach of the sampled PSUs. In household surveys like the LSMS-ISA1that have a dedicated moduleon enterprises operated by the household, detailed data on those enterprises are collected(including formalization status, irrespective of the location of the enterprise relative to thehouseholds dwelling). For these surveys, households constitute the main sampling units and areusually selected through multi-stage probability sampling procedures. The second approachinvolves sampling informal enterprises direc