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Determinants of the Prevalence of Start-ups and High-Growth Firms

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Author Info
Davidsson, Per () (Jönköping International Business School)
Henrekson, Magnus () (Dept. of Economics, Stockholm School of Economics)

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Abstract

The purpose of this study is to identify key institutional determinants of firm emergence and growth. We do this using various types of data from Sweden, a country, which until a recent turnaround, experienced a prolonged period of substandard economic performance. A characterization of a number of institutions and policy measures shows that they are likely to have contributed to an environment that discourages entrepreneurial activity and firm growth. Aspects dealt with include: missing arenas for entrepreneurship in the care and sectors and for household-related services, taxation of entrepreneurial income, incentives for wealth accumulation, wage-setting institutions and labor market regulations. Using original data, we provide evidence of a low prevalence of nascent entrepreneurs and a small net employment contribution by high-growth firms. These micro-level findings are consistent with the observed weak performance at the macro level. We admit that indisputable evidence for the effects of institutional arrangements is almost impossible to establish. However, the consistency of our theoretical arguments and empirical data makes a strong case for the notion that the Swedish case illustrates the costs of giving too little weight to economic renewal in policy making.

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Publisher Info
Paper provided by Stockholm School of Economics in its series Working Paper Series in Economics and Finance with number 381.

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Length: 37 pages
Date of creation: 03 May 2000
Date of revision: 26 May 2002
Publication status: Published in Small Business Economics, 2002, pages 81-104.
Handle: RePEc:hhs:hastef:0381

Note: Forthcoming in Small Business Economics, Vol. 16, 2001
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Related research
Keywords: Business taxation; Entrepreneurship; High-growth firms; Industrial policy; Nascent entrepreneurs; Swedish model;

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Find related papers by JEL classification:
H30 - Public Economics - - Fiscal Policies and Behavior of Economic Agents - - - General
J21 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Force and Employment, Size, and Structure
L52 - Industrial Organization - - Regulation and Industrial Policy - - - Industrial Policy; Sectoral Planning Methods
M13 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting - - Business Administration - - - New Firms; Startups

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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.:
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    Other versions:
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    Other versions:
  5. Du Rietz, Anita & Henrekson, Magnus, 2000. " Testing the Female Underperformance Hypothesis," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 14(1), pages 1-10, February. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
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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. Eliasson, Gunnar & Johansson, Dan & Taymaz, Erol, 2005. "Firm Tunrover and the Rate of Macroeconomic Growth - Simulating the Macroeconomic Effects of Schumpeterian Creative Destruction," Ratio Working Papers 66, The Ratio Institute. [Downloadable!]
  2. Stenkula, Mikael, 2009. "Taxation and Entrepreneurship in a Welfare State," Working Paper Series 800, Research Institute of Industrial Economics. [Downloadable!]
  3. Henrekson, Magnus & Jakobsson, Ulf, 2001. "The Transformation of Ownership Policy and Structure in Sweden: Convergence towards the Anglo-Saxon Model?," Working Paper Series 566, Research Institute of Industrial Economics. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  4. Siri Terjesen & László Szerb, 2008. "Dice thrown from the beginning? An empirical investigation of determinants of firm level growth expectations," Estudios de Economia, University of Chile, Department of Economics, vol. 35(2 Year 20), pages 153-178, December. [Downloadable!]
  5. Kristina Nyström, 2008. "The institutions of economic freedom and entrepreneurship: evidence from panel data," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 136(3), pages 269-282, September. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  6. Henrekson, Magnus & Rosenberg, Nathan, 2000. "Designing Efficient Institutions for Science-Based Entrepreneurship: Lessons from the US and Sweden," Working Paper Series in Economics and Finance 410, Stockholm School of Economics. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  7. Giovanni Russo & Aura Reggiani & Peter Nijkamp, 2007. "Spatial activity and labour market patterns: A connectivity analysis of commuting flows in Germany," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer, vol. 41(4), pages 789-811, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  8. Henrekson, Magnus, 2002. "Entrepreneurship: A Weak Link in the Welfare State," Working Paper Series in Economics and Finance 518, Stockholm School of Economics, revised 04 Mar 2005. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  9. Hansson, Åsa, 2005. "The Wealth Tax and Entrepreneurial Activity," Working Papers 2005:43, Lund University, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
  10. Henrekson, Magnus & Johansson, Dan, 2008. "Gazelles as Job Creators – A Survey and Interpretation of the Evidence," Working Paper Series 733, Research Institute of Industrial Economics. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  11. Giovanni Russo & Aura Reggiani & Peter Nijkamp, 2005. "Spatial Activity and Labour Market Patterns," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 05-107/3, Tinbergen Institute. [Downloadable!]
  12. Jonathan Levie & Erkko Autio, 2008. "A theoretical grounding and test of the GEM model," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 31(3), pages 235-263, October. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  13. Nyström, Kristina, 2008. "Regional Institutional Environment and Swedish Regional New Firm Formation," Working Paper Series in Economics and Institutions of Innovation 142, Royal Institute of Technology, CESIS - Centre of Excellence for Science and Innovation Studies. [Downloadable!]
  14. Arnis Sauka, 2008. "Productive, Unproductive and Destructive Entrepreneurship: A Theoretical and Empirical Exploration," William Davidson Institute Working Papers Series wp917, William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan Stephen M. Ross Business School. [Downloadable!]
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  16. Andreas Bergh, 2006. "Is the Swedish Welfare State A Free Lunch?," Econ Journal Watch, Atlas Economic Research Foundation, vol. 3(2), pages 210-235, May. [Downloadable!]
  17. Marcus Box, 2008. "The death of firms: exploring the effects of environment and birth cohort on firm survival in Sweden," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 31(4), pages 379-393, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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