El comercio ilegal y sus repercusiones socioeconómicas en los comerciantes formales del cantón Huaquillas, año 2022

Abstract

Informal trade has existed throughout human history and continues to persist even more strongly today in virtually every corner of the world. Therefore, it refers to economic activity that takes place outside of formal trade measures, encompassing a myriad of occupations ranging from street vendors in the streets to vendors in markets, commercial centers, fairs and sidewalks without any kind of legal registration. Ecuador has been characterized by having a wide space in both internal and external trade, due to the innumerable riches that come from the constant work of people leading to be recognized in various commercial spaces. Informal trade in Huaquillas is a phenomenon rooted in the daily life of the population, characterized by a wide range of economic activities carried out outside the legal framework, however, one of the complexities that the wholesale and retail market has undoubtedly had to suffer is the smuggling of products commonly perishable food, clothing, textiles, footwear, household appliances, psychotropic substances, fuel, aquaculture inputs, etc., since over the years this activity has become increasingly important, putting local and national industry at a disadvantage, as this activity has become more and more important over the years, putting local and national industry at a disadvantage. Likewise, illegal trade is a source of livelihood for many families in the canton who engage in this work due to the lack of job opportunities or the need for immediate income, causing significant challenges, such as tax evasion, unfair competition with formal businesses, also attributing to the lack of control and regulation by the competent authorities. The general objective of this research work is to establish the socioeconomic repercussions generated by illegal trade in the formal traders of the Huaquillas canton, through an exhaustive in-depth investigation based on the functionalist-structuralist theory of Talcott Parsons that allows the understanding of the people who are already detected in informality and continue developing these activities, to understand their behavior and that of the authorities in the face of this problem. The epistemological approach used was the empirical-inductive one, based on the mixed methodology, where surveys were applied to formal and informal traders to understand their effects on this activity, and interviews were conducted with the canton commissioner, the customs official and the president of the Chamber of Commerce to learn their opinions and compare data on the problem under study. As relevant results of the research process regarding the contribution of informal commerce, it is determined that the socioeconomic poverty index makes this activity remain in vogue because the population does not have the conditions to improve their quality of life, on the other hand, according to the opinions given by Dr. Maria Guerrero Commissioner of GADM-Huaquillas, it is highlighted that one of the consequences caused by informal trade is that it affects legally constituted businesses, in addition to impacting the country's economy. Based on the initial diagnosis and the requirements matrix, in which technical, economic, social and environmental feasibility analysis, the intervention proposal called Action plan to strategically address the requirements of formal and informal traders to achieve conflict resolution was designed, with the intention of improving relations between both types of traders, that is, to regularize informal traders in order to achieve the elimination of illegal trade and promote the promotion of correct commercial practices in the canton of Huaquillas