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Entrepreneurship as a non-profit-seeking activity

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  • Matthias Benz
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    Abstract

    It is typically assumed that people engage in entrepreneurship because there are profits to be made. In contrast to this view, this paper argues that entrepreneurship is more adequately characterized as a non-profit-seeking activity. Evidence from a broad range of authors and academic fields is discussed showing that entrepreneurship does quite generally not pay in monetary terms. Being an entrepreneur seems to be rather rewarding because it entails substantial non-monetary benefits, like greater autonomy, broader skill utilization, and the possibility to pursue one’s own ideas. It is shown how incorporating these non-monetary benefits into economic models of entrepreneurship can lead to a better understanding of the phenomenon.

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    Bibliographic Info

    Paper provided by Institute for Empirical Research in Economics - University of Zurich in its series IEW - Working Papers with number 243.

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    Handle: RePEc:zur:iewwpx:243

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    Keywords: entrepreneurship; self-employment; wage and return differentials; non-monetary work benefits; job satisfaction;

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    21. Joachim Merz, 2004. "Einkommens-Reichtum in Deutschland - Mikroanalytische Ergebnisse der Einkommensteuerstatistik für Selbständige und abhängig Beschäftigte," Perspektiven der Wirtschaftspolitik, Verein für Socialpolitik, vol. 5(2), pages 105-126, 05.
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