Title: What determines enterprises' technical efficiency? An empirical investigation of informal enterprises in Burkina Faso

Authors: Denis B. Akouwerabou

Addresses: Department of Economics, University Ouaga II, 03 BP 7210 Ouagadougou 03, Cedres, Burkina Faso

Abstract: Although the creation rate of new informal enterprises is very high in the cities of developing countries, the bankruptcy rate of such enterprises is also significant. This article studies the determinants of the growth rate and technical inefficiency of informal production units (IPUs). The data used in this study were collected from enterprises in Ouagadougou based on a survey of informal enterprises in the business of hairdressing, two-wheeled mechanics, carpentry, and sewing. Analysis of the data showed that IPUs run by skilled entrepreneurs are less dynamic than those run by non-qualified entrepreneurs in the short run. Detailed results further showed that qualified entrepreneurs conducting business in the informal sector expect the formal sector to offer a more profitable opportunity than the informal sector. Our data also showed that the IPUs become more inefficient as their workers contract more diseases. However, having qualified workers enables IPUs to reduce technical inefficiencies.

Keywords: informal enterprises; dynamism; technical efficiency; Burkina Faso; education; informal economy; shadow economy; developing countries; determinants; growth rate; informal production units; IPUs; worker health; hairdressing; two-wheeled mechanics; carpentry; sewing; entrepreneurship; qualifications.

DOI: 10.1504/IJESB.2016.076644

International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business, 2016 Vol.28 No.2/3, pp.359 - 379

Received: 02 May 2015
Accepted: 28 Jul 2015
Published online: 18 May 2016 *

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