Entrepreneurship in the shadow: faces and variations of Poland’s informal economy
2. Objectives:
The basic objective of the paper will be the analysis of different faces and manifestations of unregistered economic activities in Poland in the recent years based on diverse data sources including different research findings. The aim of the paper is also to provide an empirical picture and shed some light on the causes, dynamics and consequences of the existence and development of the informal sector in Poland.
3. Data/Methods
The author would like to draw upon the latest available research findings on the subject including the results of the comprehensive nation-wide survey on unregistered economic activity in Poland conducted by Polish Central Statistical Office in 2009. The intention of the author is also to present and comment the results of his own questionnaire research conducted in August 2011. They will be confronted with findings of other research projects and available statistical data.
4. Results
The paper should provide an empirical insight into the functioning of the informal sector in Poland, highlight the reasons for involvement of economic agents in the shadow economy, and identify factors conducive to the development of different forms of the informal economy as well as its economic and social implications. In the final section of the paper the author would like to discuss possible policy options referring to the shadow economy in Poland taking into account the implications of the recent economic crisis.
5. Conclusion
In economies in transition, such as Poland and other post-communist countries, the relevance of informal economy is substantial, even if researchers do not agree on its quantitative measurement. The shadow economy acts as a sort of a shock absorber cushioning the frictions in the official sector of the economy and helping to cope with the effects of the economic crisis.