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Regulatory costs on entrepreneurship and establishment employment size

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  • Peter Calcagno
  • Russell Sobel

Abstract

In this article, we examine how the level of regulation affects the size distribution of businesses. To the extent that regulation functions as a fixed cost, it should lead to larger firm size. However, regulations may also lead to smaller establishments with firms outsourcing regulated activities or staying small to take advantage of state exemptions for small businesses from regulations. We empirically examine the relationship between the size distribution of establishments and the level of regulation using state- and industry-level panel data from 1992 to 2004. Our results suggest that regulation decreases the proportion of zero employee and 1–4 employee establishments. The proportion of establishments in the 5–9 employee range generally increases with the level of regulation. Thus, regulation appears to operate as a fixed cost causing establishments to be larger. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media New York 2014

Suggested Citation

  • Peter Calcagno & Russell Sobel, 2014. "Regulatory costs on entrepreneurship and establishment employment size," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 42(3), pages 541-559, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:sbusec:v:42:y:2014:i:3:p:541-559
    DOI: 10.1007/s11187-013-9493-9
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    Cited by:

    1. Trey Malone & Antonios M. Koumpias & Per L. Bylund, 2019. "Entrepreneurial response to interstate regulatory competition: evidence from a behavioral discrete choice experiment," Journal of Regulatory Economics, Springer, vol. 55(2), pages 172-192, April.
    2. David Urbano & Sebastian Aparicio & David Audretsch, 2019. "Twenty-five years of research on institutions, entrepreneurship, and economic growth: what has been learned?," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 53(1), pages 21-49, June.
    3. Claudia Alvarez & José Ernesto Amorós & David Urbano, 2014. "Regulations and Entrepreneurship: Evidence from Developed and Developing Countries," Past Working Papers 02, Universidad del Desarrollo, School of Business and Economics, revised Nov 2014.
    4. James B. Bailey & Diana W. Thomas, 2017. "Regulating away competition: the effect of regulation on entrepreneurship and employment," Journal of Regulatory Economics, Springer, vol. 52(3), pages 237-254, December.
    5. Lucas, David & Boudreaux, Christopher, 2018. "Federal Regulation, Job Creation, and the Moderating Effect of State Economic Freedom," MPRA Paper 92593, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    6. David S. Lucas & Christopher J. Boudreaux, 2019. "The Interdependence of Hierarchical Institutions: Federal Regulation, Job Creation, and the Moderating Effect of State Economic Freedom," Papers 1903.02924, arXiv.org.
    7. Andrea M. Herrmann, 2019. "A plea for varieties of entrepreneurship," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 52(2), pages 331-343, February.
    8. Lucas, David S., 2024. "The effect of regime change on entrepreneurship: A real options approach with evidence from US gubernatorial elections," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 39(4).
    9. Selin Dilli & Niklas Elert & Andrea M. Herrmann, 2018. "Varieties of entrepreneurship: exploring the institutional foundations of different entrepreneurship types through ‘Varieties-of-Capitalism’ arguments," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 51(2), pages 293-320, August.
    10. Lucas, David S. & Boudreaux, Christopher J., 2020. "National regulation, state-level policy, and local job creation in the United States: A multilevel perspective," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 49(4).
    11. Diana W. Thomas, 2018. "A process perspective on regulation: Who bears the dispersed costs of regulation?," The Review of Austrian Economics, Springer;Society for the Development of Austrian Economics, vol. 31(4), pages 395-402, December.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Regulation; Firm size; Establishments; Small business; Entrepreneurship; L25; L26; L51;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • L25 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Firm Performance
    • L26 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Entrepreneurship
    • L51 - Industrial Organization - - Regulation and Industrial Policy - - - Economics of Regulation

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