{"type":"script","doc_desc":{"producers":[{"name":"Reproducibility WBG","abbr":"DECDI","affiliation":"World Bank - Development Impact Department","role":"Verification and preparation of metadata"}],"prod_date":"2026-06-10","version":"1"},"project_desc":{"authoring_entity":[{"name":"Mohammad Amin","affiliation":"World Bank","email":"mamin@worldbank.org"},{"name":"Eugenia Rodr\u00edguez Cuniolo","affiliation":"World Bank","email":"earodriguez@worldbank.org"}],"title_statement":{"title":"Reproducibility package for Does Informal Competition Reduce Firm-Provided Worker Training Among Formal Manufacturing SMEs In Sub-Saharan Africa?","idno":"RR_AFR_2026_645"},"data_statement":"Some data is restricted and has not been included in the reproducibility package. For more details, please refer to the README file.","software":[{"name":"Stata","version":"19.5 MP"},{"name":"R ","version":"4.5.1"}],"scripts":[{"title":"Reproducibility package for Does Informal Competition Reduce Firm-Provided Worker Training Among Formal Manufacturing Smes In Sub-Saharan Africa?","date":"2026-06","notes":"Computational reproducibility verified by Development Impact (DECDI) Analytics team, World Bank.","instructions":"See README in reproducibility package.","file_name":"RR_AFR_2026_645","zip_package":"RR_AFR_2026_645.zip","dependencies":"R dependencies are listed in the file renv.lock. Stata dependencies are listed in the ado folder."}],"repository_uri":[{"name":"Reproducible Research Repository (World Bank)","uri":"https:\/\/reproducibility.worldbank.org"}],"production_date":"2026-06-10","abstract":"This paper investigates the impact of informal competition - defined as competition faced by formal firms from informal enterprises - on the firm-provided worker training among formal manufacturing SMEs. Using a representative dataset of small and medium manufacturing firms in 23 Sub-Saharan African countries, a sizeable negative impact is found. A one-standard-deviation increase in informal competition reduces the probability that a firm offers training to its workers by 8.7 to 12.3 percentage points, relative to a sample mean of firms that offer training of approximately 25 percent. Comparable declines are observed in the share of workers receiving training. To address potential endogeneity, the paper employs several complementary strategies. First, an instrumental-variables strategy leverages variation in the number of children aged 0\u20134 and 5\u20139 years per working-age woman to generate exogenous shifts in informal competition. Second, heterogeneity is examined through tests derived from the \u201clegalist\u201d view of informality, which predicts bigger adverse effects of informal competition in environments characterized by a weaker rule of law and more stringent business regulations. Third, information about firms in other world regions is used to construct out-of-sample predictions of informal competition at the sector level. The findings suggest that informal competition is a substantial constraint on the training investments of formal firms, underscoring the need for policy responses that mitigate its adverse consequences.","geographic_units":[{"name":"Africa","code":"AFR"}],"keywords":[{"name":"Informal Competition"},{"name":"Training"},{"name":"Africa"},{"name":"Firm-Level"}],"topics":[{"id":"J24","uri":"https:\/\/www.aeaweb.org\/econlit\/jelCodes.php?view=jel","vocabulary":"Journal of Economic Literature (JEL)","name":"Human Capital \u2022 Skills \u2022 Occupational Choice \u2022 Labor Productivity","parent_id":"J2"},{"id":" O17","uri":"https:\/\/www.aeaweb.org\/econlit\/jelCodes.php?view=jel","vocabulary":"Journal of Economic Literature (JEL)","name":"Formal and Informal Sectors \u2022 Shadow Economy \u2022 Institutional Arrangements","parent_id":"O1"},{"id":" O55","uri":"https:\/\/www.aeaweb.org\/econlit\/jelCodes.php?view=jel","vocabulary":"Journal of Economic Literature (JEL)","name":"Africa","parent_id":"O5"}],"output":[{"type":"Working Paper","description":"Policy Research Working Papers (PRWP)","title":"Does Informal Competition Reduce Firm-Provided Worker Training Among Formal Manufacturing Smes In Sub-Saharan Africa?"}],"language":[{"name":"English","code":"EN"}],"technology_requirements":"Runtime: ~20 minutes.","disclaimer":"The materials in the reproducibility packages are distributed as they were prepared by the staff of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development\/The World Bank. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this event do not necessarily reflect the views of the World Bank, the Executive Directors of the World Bank, or the governments they represent. The World Bank does not guarantee the accuracy of the materials included in the reproducibility package.","license":[{"name":"MIT License","uri":"https:\/\/opensource.org\/license\/mit"},{"name":"World Bank IGO Rider","uri":"https:\/\/github.com\/worldbank\/metadata-editor\/blob\/main\/WB-IGO-RIDER.md"}],"contacts":[{"name":"Mohammad Amin","affiliation":"DECIG, World Bank","email":"mamin@worldbank.org"},{"name":"Reproducibility WBG","affiliation":"World Bank","email":"reproducibility@worldbank.org"}],"datasets":[{"name":"World Bank Enterprise Surveys (WBES)","note":"Source: World Bank. \nDatasets version: March 12, 2024. The version used is no longer available through the website but can be requested by emailing Rose Gachina at rgachina@worldbank.org.\nFile location: \"Raw-data\" folder.\nFile names: New_Comprehensive_March_12_2024.dta; ES-Indicators-Database-Global-Methodology_March_12_2024.dta.","access_type":"Data access was granted directly to the study authors by the data owners\/managers. It was obtained with a custom data license that does not allow for redistribution and it is not included in the reproducibility package.","license":"Custom license","license_uri":"https:\/\/login.enterprisesurveys.org\/en\/terms","citation":"World Bank. 2024. \"World Bank Enterprise Surveys \u2014 Version of March 12, 2024\" [dataset]. Enterprise Analysis Unit, DECEA, World Bank Group. Accessed May 18, 2026."},{"name":"World Bank Informal Economy Database ","note":"Source: World Bank Prospects Group. \nAccess date: May 5, 2026. \nFile location: \"Raw-data\" folder. \nFile names: DGE_Raw.xlsx.","license":"Custom license","access_type":"Data is publicly available and included in the reproducibility package.","license_uri":"https:\/\/www.worldbank.org\/en\/about\/legal\/terms-of-use-for-datasets","uri":"https:\/\/www.worldbank.org\/en\/research\/brief\/informal-economy-database","citation":"Elgin, C., Kose, M. A., Ohnsorge, F., and Yu, S. 2021. \"Informal Economy Database\" [dataset]. World Bank Prospects Group. https:\/\/www.worldbank.org\/en\/research\/brief\/informal-economy-database. Accessed May 5, 2026."},{"name":"World Bank Country and Lending Groups ","note":"Source: World Bank. \nAccess date: May 5, 2026. \nFile location: \"Raw-data\" folder.\nFile names: Regions_Raw.xlsx.","access_type":"Data is publicly available and included in the reproducibility package.","license":"Custom license","license_uri":"https:\/\/www.worldbank.org\/en\/about\/legal\/terms-of-use-for-datasets","uri":"https:\/\/datahelpdesk.worldbank.org\/knowledgebase\/articles\/906519-world-bank-country-and-lending-groups","citation":"World Bank. 2026. \"World Bank Country and Lending Groups\" [dataset]. World Bank. https:\/\/datahelpdesk.worldbank.org\/knowledgebase\/articles\/906519-world-bank-country-and-lending-groups. Accessed May 5, 2026."},{"name":"World Development Indicators (WDI)","note":"Source: World Bank. \nIndicators used: GDP per capita, PPP (constant 2021 international $) (NY\u00b7GDP\u00b7PCAP\u00b7PP\u00b7KD), GDP per capita growth (annual %) (NY\u00b7GDP\u00b7PCAP\u00b7KD\u00b7ZG), Population ages 15-64, female (S\u2026GDP per capita, PPP (constant 2021 international $) (NY\u00b7GDP\u00b7PCAP\u00b7PP\u00b7KD), GDP per capita growth (annual %) (NY\u00b7GDP\u00b7PCAP\u00b7KD\u00b7ZG), Population ages 15-64, female (SP\u00b7POP\u00b71564\u00b7FE\u00b7IN), Population ages 00-04, female (% of female population) (SP\u00b7POP\u00b70004\u00b7FE\u00b75Y), Population ages 00-04, male (% of male population) (SP\u00b7POP\u00b70004\u00b7MA\u00b75Y), Population ages 05-09, female (% of female population) (SP\u00b7POP\u00b70509\u00b7FE\u00b75Y), Population ages 05-09, male (% of male population) (SP\u00b7POP\u00b70509\u00b7MA\u00b75Y), Population, female (SP\u00b7POP\u00b7TOTL\u00b7FE\u00b7IN), Population, male (SP\u00b7POP\u00b7TOTL\u00b7MA\u00b7IN), Population, total (SP\u00b7POP\u00b7TOTL), School enrollment, primary (% gross) (SE\u00b7PRM\u00b7ENRR).\nAccess date: May 5, 2026. \nFile location: \"Raw-data\" folder. \nFile names: WDI.xlsx.","access_type":"Data is publicly available and included in the reproducibility package.","license":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0)","license_uri":"https:\/\/datacatalog.worldbank.org\/public-licenses","uri":"https:\/\/databank.worldbank.org\/source\/world-development-indicators","citation":"World Bank. 2026. \"World Development Indicators\" [dataset]. World Bank. https:\/\/databank.worldbank.org\/source\/world-development-indicators. Accessed May 5, 2026."},{"name":"Doing Business Data","note":"Source: World Bank. \nIndicators used: Starting a business: Cost \u2013 Men (% of income per capita) (IC.REG.COST.PC.MA.ZS). \nAccess date: May 5, 2026. \nFile location: \"Raw-data\" folder. \nFile names: DoingBusiness.xlsx.","access_type":"Data is publicly available and included in the reproducibility package.","license":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0)","license_uri":"https:\/\/www.worldbank.org\/en\/about\/legal\/terms-of-use-for-datasets","uri":"https:\/\/databank.worldbank.org\/source\/world-development-indicators","citation":"World Bank. 2026. \"Doing Business\" [dataset]. World Bank. Accessed via World Bank DataBank. https:\/\/databank.worldbank.org\/source\/doing-business. Accessed May 5, 2026."},{"name":"Worldwide Governance Indicators (WGI) ","note":"Source: World Bank. \nIndicators used: Rule of Law \u2013 Governance estimate (approx. -2.5 to +2.5) (GOV_WGI_RL.EST). \nAccess date: May 5, 2026. \nFile location: \"Raw-data\" folder. \nFile names: Rule-of-Law.xlsx.","access_type":"Data is publicly available and included in the reproducibility package.","license":"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0)","license_uri":"https:\/\/www.worldbank.org\/en\/about\/legal\/terms-of-use-for-datasets","uri":"https:\/\/databank.worldbank.org\/source\/worldwide-governance-indicators","citation":"World Bank. 2026. \"Worldwide Governance Indicators\" [dataset]. World Bank. https:\/\/databank.worldbank.org\/source\/worldwide-governance-indicators. Accessed May 5, 2026."},{"name":"Economic Freedom of the World","note":"Source: The Fraser Institute\nAccess date: May 5, 2026. \nFile location: \"Raw-data\" folder. \nFile names: EFW.xlsx.","access_type":"Data is publicly available but does not allow redistribution and is not included in the reproducibility package.","license":"Custom license","license_uri":"https:\/\/efotw.org\/economic-freedom\/citations","uri":"https:\/\/www.fraserinstitute.org\/economic-freedom\/dataset","citation":"Gwartney, J., Lawson, R., and Murphy, R. 2025. \"Economic Freedom Dataset, published in Economic Freedom of the World: 2025 Annual Report\" [dataset]. Fraser Institute. https:\/\/www.fraserinstitute.org\/economic-freedom\/dataset. Accessed May 5, 2026."}],"technology_environment":"Paper exhibits were reproduced on a computer with the following specifications:\n\u2022 OS: Windows 11 Enterprise\n\u2022 Processor: Intel(R) Xeon(R) Gold 6226R CPU @ 2.90GHz\n\u2022 Memory available: 32.0 GB","reproduction_instructions":"To reproduce the findings in this paper, a replicator must:\n1. **Secure Access to Data:** Access the datasets not included in the package. See the Datasets section for more details.\n2. **Run the Package:**\n  - Update the working directory in line 19 of the do-file `00_master`, and run it.\n  - Update the working directory of the do-file `DGE_p_Data-construction.do`, and run it.\n  - Update the working directory of the do-file `Basic_Data-construction.do`, and run it.\n  - Update the working directory of the do-file `P96_Data-Preparation_5-5-2026.do`, and run it.\n  - To reproduce Figure 5:\n     - Open the R project `Training.Rproj`\n     - Restore the environment by running renv::restore() and following the prompts.\n     - Open the `R-Script_Placebo-Test1.R` and run the code.\n  - Update the working directory of the do-file `P96_Inf-Training_5-5-2026_Replication.do`, and run it.\n\nSince all the original data cannot be redistributed, the package includes the outputs produced by the authors, which can be used to review the results presented in the paper."},"datacite":{"creators":[{"givenName":"Mohammad","familyName":"Amin","nameType":"Personal","affiliation":[{"name":"World Bank","affiliationIdentifierScheme":"ROR","schemeUri":"https:\/\/ror.org","affiliationIdentifier":"https:\/\/ror.org\/00ae7jd04"}]},{"givenName":"Eugenia Rodr\u00edguez","familyName":"Cuniolo","nameType":"Personal","affiliation":[{"name":"World Bank","affiliationIdentifierScheme":"ROR","schemeUri":"https:\/\/ror.org","affiliationIdentifier":"https:\/\/ror.org\/00ae7jd04"}]}],"titles":[{"lang":"en","title":"Reproducibility package for Does Informal Competition Reduce Firm-Provided Worker Training Among Formal Manufacturing Smes In Sub-Saharan Africa?"},{"title":"RR_AFR_2026_645","titleType":"Other"}],"publisher":"World Bank","publicationYear":"2026","types":{"resourceType":"Reproducibility package","resourceTypeGeneral":"Other"},"url":"https:\/\/reproducibility.worldbank.org\/index.php\/catalog\/study\/RR_AFR_2026_645","language":"en"},"tags":[{"tag":"DOI"},{"tag":"Open Code"},{"tag":"Restricted Data"}],"schematype":"script"}