Die Entwicklung selbständiger Erwerbstätigkeit in Westeuropa und den USA 1960-1995

Self-employment still forms an important element in the social structure of modern societies. However, the group of the self-employed has experienced an enormous economic and social change. After a long term decline until the beginning of the 1970s in almost all industrialised countries, self-employment is again on the rise since the beginning of the 1980s. The paper contains a description of these developments since the 1960s in 16 countries. In particular, the question whether there exist specific patterns of development over time in the countries is given special emphasis. Further, the article covers more in detail the connection between the level and the development of self-employment and the influence of general changes and processes on the labour markets on these developments. Thereafter, the sectoral- and branch-specific development of self-employment is analysed. It becomes clear that in general the developments of self-employment show very similar patterns in the countries but that they are based on very different mechanisms