Informal economies, state finances and surveyors

Abstract

All countries host informal economies, sometimes even exceeding the size of the formal economy. Living in the informal economy means for citizens that they and their activities are invisible for the government. Governments miss information about which people live in their country and what economically happens. They miss relevant data to develop policies, to monitor implementation and to levy taxes for generating budget. This hampers good governance and state building. This paper analyses the problem, and argues that when surveyors would expand their capacity for administration of land to other recordable subjects and objects, they can contribute to a solution.