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Does Self-Employment reduce Unemployment?

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Author Info
A. Roy Thurik () (Erasmus University Rotterdam; EIM Business and Policy Research, Zoetermeer; and Max Planck Institute of Economics)
Martin A. Carree (University of Maastricht)
Andre van Stel (EIM Business and Policy Research; Cranfield School of Management; and Max Planck Institute of Economics)
David B. Audretsch (Max Planck Institute of Economics; and Indiana University, USA)

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

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.

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Paper provided by Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Max-Planck-Institute of Economics, Thueringer Universitaets- und Landesbibliothek in its series Jena Economic Research Papers with number 2007-089.

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Date of creation: 12 Nov 2007
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Handle: RePEc:jrp:jrpwrp:2007-089

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Related research
Keywords: entrepreneurship self-employment unemployment

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Find related papers by JEL classification:
J23 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Demand
J64 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, and Vacancies - - - Unemployment: Models, Duration, Incidence, and Job Search
L26 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Entrepreneurship
L53 - Industrial Organization - - Regulation and Industrial Policy - - - Enterprise Policy
M13 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting - - Business Administration - - - New Firms; Startups
O11 - Economic Development, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Macroeconomic Analyses of Economic Development

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  27. Isabel Grilo & Roy Thurik, 2005. "Entrepreneurial engagement levels in the European Union," Discussion Papers on Entrepreneurship, Growth and Public Policy 2005-29, Max Planck Institute of Economics, Group for Entrepreneurship, Growth and Public Policy. [Downloadable!]
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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. 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!]
  2. Antonio Golpe & Andre van Stel, 2007. "Self-Employment and Unemployment in Spanish Regions in the Period 1979-2001," Jena Economic Research Papers 2007-021, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Max-Planck-Institute of Economics, Thueringer Universitaets- und Landesbibliothek. [Downloadable!]
  3. 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:
  4. 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!]
  5. Lorraine Uhlaner & Roy Thurik, 2005. "Post-Materialism Influencing Total Entrepreneurial Activity Across Nations," Discussion Papers on Entrepreneurship, Growth and Public Policy 2005-20, Max Planck Institute of Economics, Group for Entrepreneurship, Growth and Public Policy. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  6. Isabel Grilo & Roy Thurik, 2005. "Entrepreneurial engagement levels in the European Union," Discussion Papers on Entrepreneurship, Growth and Public Policy 2005-29, Max Planck Institute of Economics, Group for Entrepreneurship, Growth and Public Policy. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  7. Andre van Stel & Lendert Baljeu & Roy Thurik & Ingrid Verheul, 2006. "The Contribution of Business Ownership in Bringing Down Unemployment in Japan," Discussion Papers on Entrepreneurship, Growth and Public Policy 2006-05, Max Planck Institute of Economics, Group for Entrepreneurship, Growth and Public Policy. [Downloadable!]
  8. 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!]
  9. 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!]
  10. Roy Thurik & Isabel Grilo, 2005. "Latent and actual entrepreneurship in Europe and the US: some recent developments," Discussion Papers on Entrepreneurship, Growth and Public Policy 2005-24, Max Planck Institute of Economics, Group for Entrepreneurship, Growth and Public Policy. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
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