Cross-border exchanges and the shadow economy
Cross-border exchanges and the shadow economy
Deadline
15 April 2015
Conference dates
14-15 December 2015 (1.5 day)
Venue
Leiden University, Gravensteen (room 111)
Pieterskerkhof 6, Leiden
NetherlandsBackground
Transnational movement of goods, capital, and labor has become a taken-for-granted activity under globalization. Yet apart from sketchy records of criminal activities, cross-border exchanges through informal or illicit means are seldom studied. This is particularly so when many ordinary citizens (rather than gangsters alone) take advantage of the grey areas in unregulated transactions. While the scope and extent of such exchanges are believed to be extensive and sizable, there is a dearth of evidence for the organizations, transaction mechanisms, and processes of this shadow economy.
Shadow economic activity has always been a characteristic feature of border economies. Given their unofficial or even illicit nature, transactions are usually based on networks and trust, and hence such informal economic behavior is also interpersonal, relational, and reciprocal in nature, in contrast to the impersonal and self-interest logic of formal economic exchange. Although falling outside of the formal regulatory regime, participants in various aspects of the shadow economy all seem to know how to play their parts, while transactions are conducted under specific norms and practices. The shadow economy is thus a highly organized and institutionalized one. What is intriguing is that the workings of these activities are perhaps no different from the formal economy. As such, activities in this shadow economy pose a subversive challenge to the boundary between formal and informal, and between shadow and the more open, free market economy.
Background
Specifically, the workshop seeks to address the following questions:
- Examination of empirical cases of cross-border activities and the inner workings of the shadow economy thus arisen;
- Analysis of the institutional context or indeed institutional voids giving rise to such economic diversity in cross-border regions;
- Reflection on the existence of alternative kinds of transactions and economic exchanges that may pose challenge to the singular logic of free market transition.
Submission instructions
An abstract of not more than 500 words should be submitted, with a short CV, through the form on our website before 15 April 2015. Selected submissions will be notified before 20 May 2015. Full papers should be sent in digital format before 14 November 2015. It is the intention of the conveners to turn the revised workshop papers into either an edited book volume or a special journal issue.
The 1.5 day workshop will take place in Leiden, the Netherlands. The organizer will provide hotel accommodation for two nights for participants travelling from Europe and three nights for participants travelling from other parts of the world. Participants are expected to take care of their own travel expenses.
Conveners
The workshop will be hosted by the International Institute for Asian Studies. The conveners are Tak-Wing Ngo (Erasmus University Rotterdam) and Eva Hung (Centennial College Hong Kong).
Contact
For enquiries about the workshop, please contact Martina van den Haak at m.c.van.den.haak@iias.nl
Website
http://www.iias.nl/cross-border-exchanges
OpenEdition vous propose de citer ce billet de la manière suivante :
Monique Abud (10 mars 2015). Cross-border exchanges and the shadow economy. ChinElectrodoc. Consulté le 4 octobre 2024 à l’adresse https://doi.org/10.58079/mqnh
