Unregistered International Trade under Different Statistical Approaches

Abstract

This paper considers unregistered international trade along the eastern border of Poland. On this basis, we present difficulties in defining the parallel economy. We present a number of possibilities of assessing the unregistered trade volume by indirect information such as passenger transport and the number of trade-related offences, although such forms of research do not give full information about volume of unregistered trade and its significance for the Polish economy. Three statistical approaches to the problem of measuring the scale of unregistered trade are also analyzed. The first one is a questionnaire survey based on a random stratified sample of adult citizens of Poland. The second one is a direct survey of the country's open-air markets. The third approach is a study based on information from the Police Department about arrested traffickers and the goods they have passed through the border.

Keywords: unofficial economy, international trade, methods of statistical approach

JEL Classification: C0, F1, F2, K4