Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Ph.D. Student in Econometrics, Faculty of Economics, Allameh Tabatabai University, Tehran, Iran.

2 Department of Economics , Faculty of Economic , University of Tehran

3 M.Sc in Theoretical Economics, Faculty of Economic and .Administrative Sciences, Mazandaran University, Babolsar, Iran

10.22054/ijer.2025.82326.1314

Abstract

The present study examines the impact of globalization on Iran’s underground economy over the period 1979–2020. In this regard, the size of the underground economy was estimated using the MIMIC method. Subsequently, the effects of the three main dimensions of globalization—economic, social, and political—as well as the dual components of each dimension (de facto and de jure), were analyzed using the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) approach. The findings from the long-run estimations indicate that the economic and social dimensions of globalization have a negative effect on the underground economy, whereas the political dimension exerts a positive effect. Further analysis of the components of each globalization dimension reveals that both the de facto and de jure components of social globalization negatively influence the underground economy. Although the de jure component of economic globalization also has a negative impact, its de facto component does not have a significant effect. Regarding the political dimension, de facto component has a significant positive effect on the underground economy, while the de jure component does not show a meaningful impact. Additionally, the results demonstrate that, in all four estimated models, unemployment has a positive effect and financial deepening has a negative effect on the underground economy. These findings offer useful guidance for policymakers aiming to reduce the size of the underground economy and enhance economic transparency in the country.

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