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Does Self-Employment Reduce Unemployment?

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Author Info
André van Stel
Roy Thurik
David Audretsch
Martin Carree

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Abstract

This paper investigates the dynamic relationship between self-employment and unemployment rates. On the one hand, high unemployment rates may lead to start-up activity of self-employed individuals (the 'refugee' effect). On the other hand, higher rates of self-employment may indicate increased entrepreneurial activity reducing unemployment in subsequent periods (the 'entrepreneurial' effect). This paper introduces a new two-equation vector autoregression model capable of reconciling these ambiguities and estimates it for data from 23 OECD countries between 1974 and 2002. The empirical results confirm the existence of two distinct relationships between unemployment and self-employment: the 'refugee' and 'entrepreneurial' effects. We also find that the 'entrepreneurial' effects are considerably stronger than the 'refugee' effects. This is an updated version of SCALES-paper N200504. An updated version of this paper has been published in the Journal of Business Venturing in 2008 (Volume 23, Issue 6, pp. 673-686).

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Paper provided by EIM Business and Policy Research in its series Scales Research Reports with number H200709.

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Length: 30 pages
Date of creation: 12 Oct 2007
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Handle: RePEc:eim:papers:h200709

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  1. Shane, Scott & Kolvereid, Lars & Westhead, Paul, 1991. "An exploratory examination of the reasons leading to new firm formation across country and gender," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 6(6), pages 431-446, November. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  3. Rui Baptista & Roy Thurik, 2004. "The Relationship between Entrepreneurship and Unemployment: is Portugal an Outlier?," Papers on Entrepreneurship, Growth and Public Policy 2004-40, Max Planck Institute of Economics, Entrepreneurship, Growth and Public Policy Group. [Downloadable!]
  4. Dunne, Timothy & Roberts, Mark J & Samuelson, Larry, 1989. "The Growth and Failure of U.S. Manufacturing Plants," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, MIT Press, vol. 104(4), pages 671-98, November. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  5. Sims, Christopher A, 1980. "Macroeconomics and Reality," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 48(1), pages 1-48, January. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  6. Isabel Grilo & Jesus-Maria Irigoyen, 2006. "Entrepreneurship in the EU: To Wish and not to be," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 26(4), pages 305-318, 05. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  8. Geroski, Paul A, 1989. "Entry, Innovation and Productivity Growth," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 71(4), pages 572-78, November. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  9. David B. Audretsch & Max Keilbach, 2004. "Entrepreneurship Capital and Economic Performance," Papers on Entrepreneurship, Growth and Public Policy 2004-01, Max Planck Institute of Economics, Entrepreneurship, Growth and Public Policy Group. [Downloadable!]
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  10. Martin Carree & André van Stel & Roy Thurik & Sander Wennekers, 2007. "The Relation between Economic Development and Business Ownership revisited," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 07-022/3, Tinbergen Institute. [Downloadable!]
  11. Blanchflower, David G., 2000. "Self-employment in OECD countries," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 7(5), pages 471-505, September. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  12. Martin A. Carree, 2002. "Does Unemployment Affect the Number of Establishments? A Regional Analysis for US States," Regional Studies, Taylor and Francis Journals, vol. 36(4), pages 389-398, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  14. David B. Audretsch & A. Roy Thurik, 2000. "Capitalism and democracy in the 21st Century: from the managed to the entrepreneurial economy," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 10(1), pages 17-34. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  15. André van Stel & Roy Thurik & Martin Carree, 2005. "The effect of entrepreneurial activity on national economic growth," Scales Research Reports N200419, EIM Business and Policy Research. [Downloadable!]
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  16. Rees, Hedley & Shah, Anup, 1986. "An Empirical Analysis of Self-employment in the U.K," Journal of Applied Econometrics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 1(1), pages 95-108, January. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  21. Paul Reynolds & David Storey & Paul Westhead, 1994. "Cross-national Comparisons of the Variation in New Firm Formation Rates," Regional Studies, Taylor and Francis Journals, vol. 28(4), pages 443-456, July. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  22. Erik Hurst & Annamaria Lusardi, 2004. "Liquidity Constraints, Household Wealth, and Entrepreneurship," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 112(2), pages 319-347, April. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  23. Beesley, M E & Hamilton, R T, 1984. "Small Firms' Seedbed Role and the Concept of Turbulence," Journal of Industrial Economics, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 33(2), pages 217-31, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  25. Adriaan J. van Stel & David J. Storey, 2004. "The link between firm births and job creation: Is there a Upas Tree effect?," Papers on Entrepreneurship, Growth and Public Policy 2004-33, Max Planck Institute of Economics, Entrepreneurship, Growth and Public Policy Group. [Downloadable!]
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  26. Nickell, Stephen J, 1996. "Competition and Corporate Performance," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 104(4), pages 724-46, August. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  27. David Audretsch & Michael Fritsch, 1994. "The Geography of Firm Births in Germany," Regional Studies, Taylor and Francis Journals, vol. 28(4), pages 359-365, July. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  28. Nickell, Stephen & Nicolitsas, Daphne & Dryden, Neil, 1997. "What makes firms perform well?," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 41(3-5), pages 783-796, April. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  29. Isabel Grilo & Roy Thurik, 2005. "Entrepreneurial engagement levels in the European Union," Papers on Entrepreneurship, Growth and Public Policy 2005-29, Max Planck Institute of Economics, Entrepreneurship, Growth and Public Policy Group. [Downloadable!]
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  30. Evans, David S., 1986. "The Relationship Between Firm Growth, Size, and Age: Estimates for 100 Manufacturing Industries," Working Papers 86-33, C.V. Starr Center for Applied Economics, New York University. [Downloadable!]
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  31. Gioacchino Garofoli, 1994. "New Firm Formation and Regional Development: The Italian Case," Regional Studies, Taylor and Francis Journals, vol. 28(4), pages 381-393, July. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  32. Michael Fritsch & Pamela Mueller, 2004. "The Effects of New Business Formation on Regional Development over Time," Papers on Entrepreneurship, Growth and Public Policy 2004-36, Max Planck Institute of Economics, Entrepreneurship, Growth and Public Policy Group. [Downloadable!]
  33. John Sutton, 1997. "Gibrat's Legacy," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 35(1), pages 40-59, March. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  34. Martin Carree & André van Stel & Roy Thurik & Sander Wennekers, 2000. "Business Ownership and Economic Growth in 23 OECD Countries," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 00-001/3, Tinbergen Institute. [Downloadable!]
  35. Michael Fritsch & Pamela Mueller, 2004. "Effects of New Business Formation on Regional Development over Time," Regional Studies, Taylor and Francis Journals, vol. 38(8), pages 961-975, January. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  36. Evans, David & Jovanovic, Boyan, 1987. "Entrepreneurial Choice and Liquidity Constraints," Working Papers 87-31, C.V. Starr Center for Applied Economics, New York University. [Downloadable!]
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  38. Pfeiffer, Friedhelm & Reize, Frank, 2000. "Business start-ups by the unemployed -- an econometric analysis based on firm data," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 7(5), pages 629-663, September. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  39. Yu, Tony Fu-Lai, 1998. "Adaptive entrepreneurship and the economic development of Hong Kong," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 26(5), pages 897-911, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  40. Wennekers, Sander & Thurik, Roy, 1999. " Linking Entrepreneurship and Economic Growth," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 13(1), pages 27-55, August. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  41. André van Stel & Roy Thurik & Sander Wennekers & Martin Carree, 2007. "The relationship between economic development and business ownership revisited," Scales Research Reports H200705, EIM Business and Policy Research. [Downloadable!]
  42. Geroski, P. A., 1995. "What do we know about entry?," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 13(4), pages 421-440, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  43. David Audretsch & Roy Thurik, 1997. "Sources of Growth," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 97-109/3, Tinbergen Institute. [Downloadable!]
Full references

Cited by:
(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. Rui Baptista & Paulo Madruga & Vitor Escaria, . "Entrepreneurship, Regional Development and Job Creation: the Case of Portugal," Papers on Entrepreneurship, Growth and Public Policy 2005-06, Max Planck Institute of Economics, Entrepreneurship, Growth and Public Policy Group. [Downloadable!]
  2. Antonio Golpe & Andre van Stel, 2007. "Self-Employment and Unemployment in Spanish Regions in the Period 1979-2001," Jena Economic Research Papers in Economics 2007-021, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Max-Planck-Institute of Economics, Thueringer Universitaets- und Landesbibliothek. [Downloadable!]
  3. Rui Baptista & Vítor Escária & Paulo Madruga, 2008. "Entrepreneurship, regional development and job creation: the case of Portugal," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 30(1), pages 49-58, January. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  4. Thurik, Roy, 2009. "Entrepreneurship, Economic Growth and Policy in Emerging Economies," Working Papers UNU-WIDER Research Paper , World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER). [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  5. André van Stel & Roy Thurik & Ingrid Verheul & Lendert Baljeu, 2007. "The Relationship between Entrepreneurship and Unemployment in Japan," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 07-080/3, Tinbergen Institute, revised 14 Jul 2008. [Downloadable!]
  6. Lorraine Uhlaner & Roy Thurik, 2005. "Post-Materialism Influencing Total Entrepreneurial Activity Across Nations," Papers on Entrepreneurship, Growth and Public Policy 2005-20, Max Planck Institute of Economics, Entrepreneurship, Growth and Public Policy Group. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  7. Sander Wennekers & Jolanda Hessels & Chantal Hartog, 2009. "Global Entrepreneurship Monitor 2008 The Netherlands," Scales Research Reports A200914, EIM Business and Policy Research. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  8. Isabel Grilo & Roy Thurik, 2005. "Entrepreneurial engagement levels in the European Union," Papers on Entrepreneurship, Growth and Public Policy 2005-29, Max Planck Institute of Economics, Entrepreneurship, Growth and Public Policy Group. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  9. Andre van Stel & Lendert Baljeu & Roy Thurik & Ingrid Verheul, 2006. "The Contribution of Business Ownership in Bringing Down Unemployment in Japan," Papers on Entrepreneurship, Growth and Public Policy 2006-05, Max Planck Institute of Economics, Entrepreneurship, Growth and Public Policy Group. [Downloadable!]
  10. Martin Carree & André van Stel & Roy Thurik & Sander Wennekers, 2007. "The Relation between Economic Development and Business Ownership revisited," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 07-022/3, Tinbergen Institute. [Downloadable!]
  11. André van Stel & Roy Thurik & Andrew Burke, 2008. "Investigating Blue Ocean v. Competitive Strategy: A Statistical Analysis of the Retail Industry," Scales Research Reports H200801, EIM Business and Policy Research. [Downloadable!]
  12. Sindy A. González & Héctor J. Villarreal, 2006. "More Pushed than Pulled: Self-employment in rural Mexico ten years after NAFTA," Working Papers 20063, Escuela de Graduados en Administración Pública y Políticas Públicas, Campus Monterrey, revised Nov 2006. [Downloadable!]
  13. Leitão, João & Ferreira, João, 2007. "Liberalization of European Telecommunications and Entrepreneurship: Why German and Portuguese Experiences are so Equal and so Different?," MPRA Paper 5728, University Library of Munich, Germany. [Downloadable!]
  14. Pernilla Andersson & Eskil Wadensjö, 2006. "Employees Who Become Self-Employed: Do Labour Income and Wages Have an Impact?," IZA Discussion Papers 1971, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
  15. Hugo Erken & Piet Donselaar & Roy Thurik, . "Total Factor Productivity and the Role of Entrepreneurship," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 09-034/3, Tinbergen Institute. [Downloadable!]
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  16. Verheul, I. & Stel, A.J. van & Thurik, A.R., 2005. "Explaining Female and Male Entrepreneurship at the Country Level," Research Paper ERS-2005-089-ORG Revision, Erasmus Research Institute of Management (ERIM), ERIM is the joint research institute of the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University and the Erasmus School of Economics (ESE) at Erasmus Uni. [Downloadable!]
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  17. Daniela Glocker & Viktor Steiner, 2007. "Self-Employment - a Way to End Unemployment?: Empirical Evidence from German Pseudo-Panel Data," Discussion Papers of DIW Berlin 661, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  18. Desai, Sameeksha, 2009. "Measuring Entrepreneurship in Developing Countries," Working Papers UNU-WIDER Research Paper , World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER). [Downloadable!]
  19. Jolanda Hessels & Marco Gelderen & Roy Thurik, 2008. "Entrepreneurial aspirations, motivations, and their drivers," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 31(3), pages 323-339, October. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  20. Rui Baptista & Roy Thurik, 2004. "The Relationship between Entrepreneurship and Unemployment: is Portugal an Outlier?," Papers on Entrepreneurship, Growth and Public Policy 2004-40, Max Planck Institute of Economics, Entrepreneurship, Growth and Public Policy Group. [Downloadable!]
  21. Verheul, Ingrid & Van Stel, André & Thurik , Roy & Urbano, David, 2006. "The Relationship between Business Ownership and Unemployment in Spain: A Matter of Quantity or Quality?/La relación entre el autoempleo y el desempleo en España: Una cuestión de cantidad o de calid," Estudios de Economía Aplicada, Estudios de Economía Aplicada, vol. 24, pages 435-457, Agosto. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  22. André van Stel & Roy Thurik & Dennis Fok & Andrew Burke, 2009. "The Dynamics of Entry and Exit," Scales Research Reports H200907, EIM Business and Policy Research. [Downloadable!]
  23. Chantal Hartog, 2008. "The two-way relationship between entrepreneurship and economic performance," Scales Research Reports H200822, EIM Business and Policy Research. [Downloadable!]
  24. Roy Thurik & Isabel Grilo, 2005. "Latent and actual entrepreneurship in Europe and the US: some recent developments," Papers on Entrepreneurship, Growth and Public Policy 2005-24, Max Planck Institute of Economics, Entrepreneurship, Growth and Public Policy Group. [Downloadable!]
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