This paper o¤ers a bridge between the theoretical literature on endogenous network formation and the empirical work on the impact of social networks on economic performance. We provide a theoretical framework of endogenous network formation that yields testable predictions for the network architectures generated by a particular informal institution common in village economies. We test the impli...

Comparative Advantage, Segmentation and Informal Earnings: A Marginal Treatment Effects Approach This paper employs recently developed econometric models of marginal treatment effects to analyze the relevance of labor market comparative advantage and segmentation in the participation and earnings performance of workers in formal and informal jobs in Argentina. A novel household data set on info...

By Choice and by Necessity: Entrepreneurship and Self-Employment in the Developing World Over half of all workers in the developing world are self-employed. Although some selfemployment is chosen by entrepreneurs with well-defined projects and ambitions, roughly two thirds results from individuals having no better alternatives. The importance of selfemployment in the overall distribution of job...

When the quality of a good is at the discretion of the seller, how can buyers assure that the seller provides the mutually efficient level of quality? Contracts that provide a bonus to the seller if the quality is acceptable, or impose a penalty on the seller if quality is unacceptable, can in theory provide efficient incentives. But how are such contracts enforced? While the courts can be used...

This paper investigates the role of risk-aversion in the allocation of workers between formal and informal jobs in Ghana. In the model I propose risk-averse workers can opt between the free-entry informal sector and queuing for formal occupations. Conditional on identifying the riskier option, the model yields testable implications on the relationship between risk-preferences and workers’ alloc...

The small fourth chromosome of Drosophila melanogaster, also known as the dot chromosome, is unlike the other three chromosomes of Drosophila in that it contains largely heterochromatic sequence. The 1.2 Mb arm of the dot chromosome has normal gene density, but a higher frequency of repetitive sequences compared to the euchromatic arms of chromosomes 13. The many genes packaged in the dot chrom...

Corruption, Shadow Economy and Income Inequality: Evidence from Asia A number of recent studies for Latin America show that as the size of the informal economy grows, corruption is less harmful to inequality. We investigate if this relationship is equally compelling for developing countries in Asia where corruption, inequality and shadow economies are considerably large. We use Panel Least Squa...

We studied 21 strains of amikacin-resistant Serratia marcescens from three different U.S. cities, Twenty of the 21 strains contained conjugative R plasmids mediating gentamicin and tobramycin resistance. Amikacin-resistant S. marcescens from two cities predominated in protracted outbreaks. Conversely, the amikacin-resistant Charleston strain (serotype 02/03:nonmotile) was isolated from only fou...

The views expressed in this Working Paper are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent those of the IMF or IMF policy. Working Papers describe research in progress by the author(s) and are published to elicit comments and to further debate. There is increasing recognition that corruption has substantial, adverse effects on economic growth. But if the costs of corruption are so hi...

A collection of 829 isolates of Providencia stuartii, mostly from urological specimens of patients in 12 hospitals, were O serotyped. Hospitals varied in serotype distribution, but most isolates (97%) fell into one or another of 14 O types of P. stuartii. One type (O63) was found in 10 hospitals, and six types (O4, O17, O25, O52, O55, O56) were found in 5 or more hospitals. These seven types we...