Constrained gazelles. High potentials in West Africa’s informal economy

Michael Grimm, Peter Knorringa and Jann Lay

No 537, ISS Working Papers - General Series from International Institute of Social Studies of Erasmus University Rotterdam (ISS), The Hague

Abstract: The informal sector is typically characterised as being very heterogeneous and possibly composed of two clearly distinct segments, sometimes called the lower and upper tier. However, empirical evidence shows that even among lower tier entrepreneurs profitability can be quite high. We combine these findings and develop an innovative approach to identify what we call ‘constrained gazelles’, next to the well-known survivalists in the lower tier and growth-oriented top-performers in the upper tier. Our sample of informal entrepreneurs in seven West-African countries allows to link the relative size of these three groups to the structural and macroeconomic environment in these countries.

Keywords: West-Africa; capital; entrepreneurship; informality; managerial ability; targeting (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2012-03-09
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (90)

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Journal Article: Constrained Gazelles: High Potentials in West Africa’s Informal Economy (2012)
Working Paper: Constrained gazelles: high potentials in West Africa's informal economy (2012)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ems:euriss:31826

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