Intergenerational Transmission of Entrepreneurial Activity in Spanish Families

This paper empirically analyzes the existence of intergenerational transmission of entrepreneurial activity, from parents to children within Spanish families. We used data from the Survey of Household Finances (Bank of Spain) for the years 2002, 2005, 2008, 2011, and 2014, which allowed us to identify entrepreneurs as self-employed workers. The entrepreneurial activity of individuals was studied as a function of individual and parental demographics and labor characteristics. We found a significant correlation between the entrepreneurial activity of parents and children, which appeared to have remained unchanged during the last decade and the years of the economic crisis. Furthermore, the intergenerational transmission of occupation from parents to children was stronger for entrepreneurs than for employees.