Unemployment and the Informal Economy

Ligita Gasparėnienė is Head of Science and Innovation Department, Vilnius University, Law Faculty (Lithuania).  She holds a PhD in economics from Kaunas University of Technology and a Master of Law from Vilnius University. Her research focuses on different aspects of the shadow economy.Rita Remeikienė is Head of the Project Department, Vilnius University, Faculty of Law, (Lithuania). She holds a PhD in economics and a masters in marketing management from Kaunas University of Technology. Her research interests are shadow economy, unemployment, self-employment, and the labor market.Colin C Williams is Professor of Public Policy at the School of Management at University of Sheffield (UK). He has a PhD in Urban and Regional Studies from the University of Birmingham. He is the Lead Expert on undeclared work to European Commission’s European Platform Tackling Undeclared Work. His particular research interest is in studying the magnitude and character of the informal economy and evaluating different public policy approaches and initiatives for tackling this sphere.

• 1.  Introduction.- 2. Theorizing the informal economy.- 3. Relationship between unemployment and the informal economy in Lithuania.- 4. Conclusions and recommendations.