Abstract

This volume contains the proceedings of the Workshop on the Underground Economy and Informal Sector held in Rome form the 4th to the 5th of May 1998. The purpose of the workshop was to present existing methodologies and the practical experiences of European and Mediterranean countries in the implementation of specify approaches for the measurement of the non-observed economy. Among the main issues discussed, the possibility of adopting a common framework and systematic approach production of statistical indicators for the Non-Observed Economy.

About 40 participants attended the Workshop, including representatives from ten south and eastern Mediterranean countries and some EU member states, experts from international organisations (international Labour Organisation, World Bank), or research institutes (DIAL) and from other countries (Mexico, Poland). Their contributions on definitions and methods adopted and on the experiences in the measurement of the non-observed economy are collected in this volume.

The Workshop allowed to draft the guidelines for a statistical co-operation project concerning the non-observed economy that was adopted under European Commission MEDSTAT programme