Research

Peer-reviewed journal articles* 

*CNRS: The last journal ranking by the French CNRS, published in 2020 (no updates since). Rankings range from 1 (top) to 4 (bottom).

*CNU: The most recent journal ranking by the French Conseil National des Universités. Rankings range from A (top) to C (bottom).

1. Coups d'état and the informal economy

(with A.E. Apeti, A. Okara, and K.I.H. Yéo)

World Development, 207, 107477. (2026). (CNRS ranking: 1; CNU ranking: A)

2. The high-tech trap: Corruption risks in a new wave of privatization

(with I. Bertè, L. Demoury, F. Gasmi, N. Patzig, L. Recuero Virto, and P. Saba)

Journal of Regulatory Economics, 69(24), 1-39.  (2026). (CNRS ranking: 2; CNU ranking: A)

3. Do power outages hurt registered firms' access to finance in developing countries?

Oxford Economic Papers, 78(3), 770-798. (2026). (CNRS ranking: 2; CNU ranking: A)

4. Managing credit constraints under competitive pressure from the informal sector

Economics of Transition and Institutional Change (formerly Economics of Transition), 34(3), 475-498. (2026). (CNRS ranking: 2; CNU ranking: A)

5. High-quality financial statements, credit constraints, and labor productivity

Economics Bulletin, 45(4), 1885-1897. (2025). (CNRS ranking: 3; CNU ranking: B)

6. Can innovation reduce the size of the informal economy?

(with K.I.H. Yéo)

Comparative Economic Studies, 67(3), 623-681. (2025). (CNRS ranking: 3; CNU ranking: B)

7. Can past informality impede registered firms' access to credit?

Journal of Comparative Economics, 53(3), 786-815. (2025). (CNRS ranking: 1; CNU ranking: A)

8. Firms' sustainable and responsible innovation in Nigeria: Does informality play a role?

(with F. Gasmi and M. Sanni)

Economics of Transition and Institutional Change (formerly Economics of Transition), 33(1), 139-164. (2025). (CNRS ranking: 2; CNU ranking: A)

9. An empirical analysis of the social contract in the Middle East and North Africa region and the role of digitalization in its transformation 

(with F. Gasmi, P. Noumba Um, and P. Rojas Milla)

Economics of Transition and Institutional Change (formerly Economics of Transition), 32(4), 1193-1243. (2024). (CNRS ranking: 2; CNU ranking: A)

10. Explaining process innovation in developing countries: The role of a firm's status, formal or informal

Managerial and Decision Economics, 44(6), 3077-3085. (2023). (CNRS ranking: 3; CNU ranking: B) 

11. Competing against 'invisibles': the effect of competition from informal firms on formal firms' R&D

Eurasian Business Review, 13(1), 87-117. (2023). (CNRS ranking: 3; CNU ranking: B) 

12. Separating innovation short-run and long-run technical efficiencies: Evidence from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)

European Journal of Comparative Economics, 19(1), 103-141. (2022). (CNRS ranking: 3; CNU ranking: B)

13. Gouvernance et autonomie stratégique par l'innovation : Une étude exploratoire

(with E. Szego)

Economie Appliquée, 1(3), 83-113. (2022). English Abstract. (CNRS ranking: 4; CNU ranking: C)

14. Innovation, ancienneté du manager et implication des employés dans la prise de décision au sein des entreprises d'un pays en développement

Revue Economique, 73(5), 781-810. (2022). English Abstract. (CNRS ranking: 2; CNU ranking: A)

15. Determinants of employees' participation in decision-making in developing countries: Does a firm's formal versus informal status matter?

Managerial and Decision Economics, 43(5), 1501-1514. (2022). (CNRS ranking: 3; CNU ranking: B)

Working papers

1. Artificial intelligence in defense activities and national innovation system performance

(with E. Szego)

CREM Working Paper. Center for Research in Economics and Management, University of Rennes, University of Caen Normandie, and CNRS. August 2026.

2. Capturing the positive effects of brain drain through return migration policies: An analysis of the 1980-2022 Moroccan experience

(with F. Gasmi, S. Metevier, and P. Noumba Um)

CREM Working Paper. Center for Research in Economics and Management, University of Rennes, University of Caen Normandie, and CNRS. January 2026.

3. Crime and access to finance

CREM Working Paper. Center for Research in Economics and Management, University of Rennes, University of Caen Normandie, and CNRS. September 2025.

Under Review: Oxford Economic Papers. (CNRS ranking: 2; CNU ranking: A)

4. Informal origin and the labor productivity of registered firms in sub-Saharan Africa

CREM Working Paper. Center for Research in Economics and Management, University of Rennes, University of Caen Normandie, and CNRS. February 2025.

Revise and Resubmit: Annals of Economics and Statistics. (CNRS ranking: 2; CNU ranking: A)