Title
Business training programs and microenterprise formalization in Peru
Date Issued
01 January 2020
Access level
open access
Resource Type
journal article
Publisher(s)
Cogent OA
Abstract
A large share of workers in developing countries are constrained to self-employment mainly due to lack of opportunities in wage employment, becoming entrepreneurs de facto constrained to the informal sector, with meager profits and poor working conditions. In response to this problem, several governments offer business training programs targeted at these entrepreneurs with two aims: to improve business outcomes and to promote enterprise formalization. This paper explores the relation between business training programs and formalization using data of 1,133 participants in two entrepreneurship programs in Peru. Difference-in-differences with various matching techniques indicate that formalization increased by 20–25 percentage points 2 years after program participation. This study presents suggestive evidence of three potential mechanisms behind this increased formalization rates: the opportunity to reconsider participants’ original business plans, the demystification of the tax procedures, and access to seed capital.
Volume
8
Issue
1
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Geografía económica y cultural Economía
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-85087915769
Source
Cogent Economics and Finance
ISSN of the container
23322039
Sources of information: Directorio de Producción Científica Scopus