Prospects of integrative and hybrid approaches to assessing undeclared work

The article considers the prospects for the formation of a new methodology for researching undeclared work in order to develop an evidence-based policy on to minimize it. In the context of European integration, Ukraine has an obligation to join European initiatives to combat undeclared work and make this activity a systemic component of the relevant state policy. It is concluded that today there is no generally accepted methodology for studying undeclared work that would allow for a comprehensive and reliable assessment of the wide range of manifestations of this phenomenon. Common methods mainly focus on measuring individual types of it or the overall scale of the informal economy. The most promising approach to quantitatively assessing the scale and forms of manifestation of undeclared work, as well as identifying its leading factors, is to build an integrated system of hybrid models based on a combination of indirect and direct assessment methods with micro-simulation modeling of the processes under study. The most relevant for application in domestic realities is the combination of the indirect LIM method with surveys using the “Eurobarometer” methodology, which have been tested in EU countries. The general algorithm for applying LIM in Ukraine, key problems associated with its use, in particular, ensuring the comparability of available static data, and possible ways to solve them are revealed. Preliminary estimates of the manifestation of undeclared work in Ukraine according to 2021 data are presented. The prospects for further scientific research in this area in the context of a lack of official information are primarily related to the use of statistical, register and secondary data and the improvement of the tools for their processing and integration.