Conceptualizing Household Consumption Informality in the South Texas Borderlands

In this paper we introduce a conceptual model and corresponding research propositions for consumption informality, utilizing households as the unit of analysis and the South Texas borderlands as our geographic exemplar. The model connects demographic and facilitation mechanisms as the primary determinants of consumption informality. In an initial and exploratory appraisal of the model, we find that a majority of households engage in informal consumption, when modeled, utilizing household work substitution services; and hence, we offer preliminary support for the conceptual model.