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The post-crisis growth in the self-employed: volunteers or reluctant recruits?

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  • Andrew Henley

Abstract

The post-crisis growth in the self-employed: volunteers or reluctant recruits? Regional Studies. In the context of recent growth in UK self-employment, the relationship between self-employment choices and local economic and labour market conditions is investigated to address whether self-employment is associated with local ‘push’ or ‘pull’. Empirical analysis is conducted using UK longitudinal data linked to local area unemployment and earnings data. Analysis shows that pull factors are more significant in driving transitions into self-employment. Self-employed business ownership appears not to function as a significant alternative to unemployment where paid employment demand is weak. Entrepreneurial activity prospers where local wages are higher and unemployment lower.

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  • Andrew Henley, 2017. "The post-crisis growth in the self-employed: volunteers or reluctant recruits?," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 51(9), pages 1312-1323, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:regstd:v:51:y:2017:i:9:p:1312-1323
    DOI: 10.1080/00343404.2016.1184753
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    Cited by:

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    3. Daniel Wheatley, 2021. "Workplace location and the quality of work: The case of urban-based workers in the UK," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 58(11), pages 2233-2257, August.
    4. Reuschke, Darja & Henley, Andrew & Daniel, Elizabeth & Price, Victoria, 2021. "Testing the Differential Impact of COVID-19 on Self-Employed Women and Men in the United Kingdom," IZA Discussion Papers 14216, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    5. Lauren Bari & Tom Turner & Michelle O'Sullivan, 2021. "Gender differences in solo self‐employment: Gendered flexibility and the effects of parenthood," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(6), pages 2180-2198, November.
    6. Reuschke, Darja & Houston, Donald, 2020. "Revisiting the gender gap in commuting through self-employment," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 85(C).
    7. Ken Clark & Stephen Drinkwater & Catherine Robinson, 2017. "Self-employment amongst migrant groups: new evidence from England and Wales," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 48(4), pages 1047-1069, April.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • J21 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Force and Employment, Size, and Structure
    • M13 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Business Administration - - - New Firms; Startups
    • R23 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Household Analysis - - - Regional Migration; Regional Labor Markets; Population

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