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Stars and Misfits: A Theory of Occupational Choice

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Author Info
Thomas Astebro () (Joseph L.Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto)
Jing Chen () (Department of Economics, Florida International University)
Peter Thompson () (Department of Economics, Florida International University)

Additional information is available for the following registered author(s):

Abstract

In some datasets, the self-employed earn markedly less than wage earners, even though those at the top end of the distribution earn more than their wage-earning peers. This observation is explained by a model of entrepreneurial choice that blends Lazear’s [Journal of Labor Economics, vol. 23, pp. 649-680 (2005)] notion that entrepreneurs must be skilled in a variety of activities with the strong complementarity between skills central to Kremer’s [Quarterly Journal of Economics, vol. 108, pp. 551-575 (1993)] O-ring theory of production. We test some predictions of the model using two datasets, with mixed results.

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File URL: http://www.fiu.edu/orgs/economics/wp2008/08-03.pdf
File Format: application/pdf
File Function: First version, 2008
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Publisher Info
Paper provided by Florida International University, Department of Economics in its series Working Papers with number 0803.

Download reference. The following formats are available: HTML (with abstract), plain text (with abstract), BibTeX, RIS (EndNote, RefMan, ProCite), ReDIF
Length: 42 pages
Date of creation: Mar 2008
Date of revision:
Handle: RePEc:fiu:wpaper:0803

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Web page: http://www.fiu.edu/orgs/economics/
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Related research
Keywords: entreprenuership; self-employment; jack-of-all trades; skill complementarity;

Find related papers by JEL classification:
J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
L26 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Entrepreneurship

References listed on IDEAS
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. Sarasvathy, D. K. & Simon, Herbert A. & Lave, Lester, 1998. "Perceiving and managing business risks: differences between entrepreneurs and bankers," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 33(2), pages 207-225, January. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  2. Tobias J. Moskowitz & Annette Vissing-Jørgensen, 2002. "The Returns to Entrepreneurial Investment: A Private Equity Premium Puzzle?," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 92(4), pages 745-778, September. [Downloadable!]
  3. Rosen, Sherwin, 1981. "The Economics of Superstars," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 71(5), pages 845-58, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  4. MacDonald, Glenn M, 1988. "The Economics of Rising Stars," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 78(1), pages 155-66, March. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  5. Ari Hyytinen & Pekka Ilmakunnas, 2007. "Entrepreneurial Aspirations: Another Form of Job Search?," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 29(1), pages 63-80, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  6. Holmes, Thomas J & Schmitz, James A, Jr, 1990. "A Theory of Entrepreneurship and Its Application to the Study of Business Transfers," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 98(2), pages 265-94, April. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  7. Robert E. Lucas Jr., 1978. "On the Size Distribution of Business Firms," Bell Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 9(2), pages 508-523, Autumn. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  8. 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!]
  9. Tobias J. Moskowitz & Annette Vissing-Jorgensen, 2002. "The Returns to Entrepreneurial Investment: A Private Equity Premium Puzzle?," NBER Working Papers 8876, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  10. Jovanovic, Boyan, 1994. " Firm Formation with Heterogeneous Management and Labor Skills," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 6(3), pages 185-91, June.
  11. Barton H. Hamilton, 2000. "Does Entrepreneurship Pay? An Empirical Analysis of the Returns to Self-Employment," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 108(3), pages 604-631, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  12. Kihlstrom, Richard E & Laffont, Jean-Jacques, 1979. "A General Equilibrium Entrepreneurial Theory of Firm Formation Based on Risk Aversion," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 87(4), pages 719-48, August. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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