Name: Rosendo Antonio Barrientos Torres

Section: B1
Date: November 18, 2021
Assignment: Critique essay Final
UIN: 658326788

The review of an article about the Informal economy.

Informal economy or informal sector are used interchangeably. According to the International

Monetary Fund, this concept comprises all economic activities with market value. Still, the

outputs coming from these activities are not counted as part of Global Domestic Product because

measurements are challenging to obtain. Although these activities remain out of the books of

national accountancy, the informal sector's contribution is relevant for policymaking; therefore,

researchers have been interested in studying its effects on the economy. Onwo & Ohazulike

(2021) published an article called "Employment in the informal sector in Nigeria: Implications

for sustainable economic development." It is imperative to mention that this article offers a

contribution to development economics by including the matter of sustainability; however, there

are flaws and missing parts that make the paper look incomplete. The article lacks a model or a

least a theoretical model typical in the field, so the research is approaching an economic

problem; but, it does not fill the standard for economic research.

It is well appreciated that authors such as Onwo & Ohazulike showed their desire to

contribute to this essential knowledge that can significantly contribute to countries like Nigeria.

The approach the authors took on the subject is majorly linked to employment. This proxy

variable can give an idea of the dimensions of the informal sector within an economy. The
authors succeeded in pointing out the topic's relevance by presenting facts and interesting

statistics that other authors have estimated around the informal economy.

On the other hand, considering the exciting title of this work, readers are likely to expect more

than it was presented in the article. The study of the informal economy is not entirely innovative;

thus, the authors could have included a model or data analysis in the paper. A document from

Dukes University (n.d.) states that only empirical and theoretical papers are, in essence,

economic papers. The article mentioned above treats a subject that cannot be considered outside

the borders of economics and hardly could perfectly fit in another field of study; therefore, the

article excludes the core and most relevant section of a legit economic paper. Besides, there is no

literature review regarding the methods of measuring informal activity. Apart from essential

definitions, it was expected a summary of relevant methodologies for estimating variables such

as informal employment, level of income linked to informality, and others; this way, the article

would set up a theoretical framework to standardize data collection and operationalization to

finally take a step forward regarding this subject.

In addition, the concept of sustainable development remained isolated and out of context

because the article scarcely goes over a definition but does not explain the relationships between

sustainability issues tied to the informal economy, employment, or any other variable.

Presumably, the authors had the idea to present how the informal sector may influence

sustainability —which draws the reader's attention— but in the end, the authors neglected to

expand on the topic.

 In conclusion, the authors had in mind a fascinating subject that has the potential to enthrall

other researchers. More importantly, research outcomes about the Nigerian economy may attract

people in charge of policymaking and positively impact economic variables such as employment,

income, taxation, and development. The article in discussion does not fail to bring the

importance of informal economy for developing countries; however, the contribution could have

been outstanding if the authors had approached the "implications" that were promised in the title

of their article. In general, the paper is a literature review following no structure with a limited

compilation of concepts.

References

Writing in Economics (n.d.). Duke’s Economics Department. Retrieved from

https://twp.duke.edu/sites/twp.duke.edu/files/file-attachments/econ.original.pdf

Onwo, A.O., & Ohazulike, G.A. (2021). Employment in the informal sector in Nigeria:

Implications for sustainable economic development. Unizik Journal of Business, 4(1), 62-

71. https://doi.org/10.36108/unizikjb/1202.40.0160