Identifying participation in the informal economy using survey research methods

There is growing interest in the extent of informal economic activity as a form of income generating or subsistence activity within first world economics, but little agreement exists in the literature as to what constitutes informal work, what activities in addition to monetary exchanges make up the informal economy, and where these activities are located. The lack of consensus on the proper definition of the activities that make up the informal economy is reflected in the lack of systematic data available to investigate these forms of work. This paper investigates using telephone survey research techniques to develop inexpensive and efficient data sources to answer questions about the forms, prevalence, and location of informal work. The research uncovers problems associated with destrates the viability of this approach as well as the generally high level of participation in both rural and urban places.