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Replication Package for: Access to Credit and the Size of the Formal Sector in Brazil

By Department of Research and Chief Economist (VPS/RES/RES)

This dataset provides industry-level data on the distribution of firm size among formal firms in Brazil. It was assembled as the supporting research data for the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) study "Access to Credit and the Size of the Formal Sector in Brazil," which examines how financial frictions and access to credit shape the size structure of formal businesses in a major Latin American economy.

What the data describe

The figures are built from Brazil's RAIS (Relação Anual de Informações Sociais), the country's annual social information record administered by the Ministry of Labor, which collects establishment- and employment-level information across the formal economy. From this source the dataset summarizes the distribution of firm (plant) size at the industry level for formal firms, allowing analysts to see how employment and establishment counts are spread across size categories within and across industries.

What the resources contain

The dataset bundles several complementary files so the results can be reproduced and reused:

  • Plant-size tabulations in CSV and Stata (.dta) formats summarizing firm-size distributions at the industry level.
  • Data dictionaries in CSV that document variables and category definitions for the plant-size files.
  • Stata .do scripts that process the underlying RAIS records into the published tabulations, supporting transparency and replication.

Intended uses

Researchers, economists, and policymakers can use the data to study firm-size dynamics, formalization, productivity, and the relationship between credit access and firm growth in Brazil and, by extension, across Latin America and the Caribbean. The dataset is well suited to applied microeconomics, development economics, and labor-market research, and to replication of the associated IDB publication.

Access and citation

The data are openly available through IDB Open Data under the Creative Commons Attribution–NonCommercial–NoDerivs 3.0 IGO license. A persistent DOI is provided for stable referencing; please cite the dataset when reusing it (see the citation question below).

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Metadata & use

Identifier https://doi.org/10.60966/zn99xirq
License Creative Commons Attribution–NonCommercial–NoDerivs 3.0 IGO
Related Knowledge Product
Citation

D'Erasmo, Pablo N. (2015). Replication Package for: Access to Credit and the Size of the Formal Sector in Brazil. IDB Open Data. https://doi.org/10.60966/zn99xirq
Published date 2015-03-04
Modified date 2026-10-28
Tags/Keywords Industrial Productivity · Manufacturing Industry
Language
  1. English
Temporal coverage 2003-2010
Country
Brazil
Region Latin America and the Caribbean
Publisher
Inter-American Development Bank
Author
D'Erasmo, Pablo N.
Data collection type Survey Data
Statistical type Cross-sectional Data
Data structure Structured Data
Dataset unit of observation

Sector
Data notes

What does this dataset contain?

It contains industry-level tabulations of the firm-size distribution for formal firms in Brazil, together with data dictionaries and the Stata scripts used to build them. The files support the IDB study on access to credit and the size of the formal sector in Brazil.

What is RAIS?

RAIS (Relação Anual de Informações Sociais) is Brazil's annual social information record, administered by the Ministry of Labor, which compiles establishment- and employment-level information across the formal economy. It is the underlying source from which these industry-level firm-size tabulations were derived.

Which country and time period does the data cover?

The data cover Brazil. The temporal scope recorded for the dataset spans 2003 to 2010, and the resource files are organized around the 2003 and 2010 reference points.

What file formats are provided?

The dataset includes CSV and Stata (.dta) tabulation files, CSV data dictionaries, and Stata .do scripts. This mix supports both general-purpose analysis and full replication of the published results.

Who produced this dataset?

The dataset was authored by Pablo N. D'Erasmo and published through IDB Open Data by the Inter-American Development Bank. It accompanies the IDB publication on access to credit and the size of the formal sector in Brazil.

What kinds of research can this dataset support?

It is useful for applied microeconomics, development economics, and labor-market research—for example, studies of firm-size dynamics, formalization, industrial productivity, and how credit access relates to firm growth in Brazil and the broader Latin American and Caribbean region.

Why are data dictionaries and scripts included?

The data dictionaries document the variables and category definitions so users can interpret the tabulations correctly, while the Stata .do scripts show how the published figures were generated. Together they support transparency and replication of the associated study.

Under what license can I use the data?

The dataset is published under the Creative Commons Attribution–NonCommercial–NoDerivs 3.0 IGO license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/igo/). This permits non-commercial reuse with attribution and without derivative redistribution.

Where can I find the associated publication?

The dataset accompanies the IDB publication "Access to Credit and the Size of the Formal Sector in Brazil," available through the IDB publications portal at https://publications.iadb.org/en/publication/11242/access-credit-and-size-formal-sector-brazil.

How do I cite this dataset?

Cite it as: D'Erasmo, Pablo N. (2015). RAIS industry level Data associated with: Access to Credit and the Size of the Formal Sector in Brazil. IDB Open Data. https://doi.org/10.60966/zn99xirq (publisher: Inter-American Development Bank).

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