Informal economy: a study of international hidden entrepreneurs in saudi arabia

This thesis extends the informal sector literature by identifying a unique type of informality in the context of an emerging economy. This new type of informality is referred to as international hidden entrepreneurship which is identified using an innovative data collection strategy. The thesis focuses on international hidden entrepreneurs (IHEs) who operate in the Saudi market informally. IHEs originate from different regions of the globe to exploit the business ownership arrangement weaknesses in Saudi Arabia. They enter into an informal agreement with a Saudi partner to operate in the Saudi market informally. IHEs register their businesses under the name of Saudi partners and provide legal goods and services, where the ownership of the business is illegal. This thesis aims to closely examine the positive and negative effects of IHEs in the context of Saudi Arabia.