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The role of freelancers in entrepreneurship and small business

Author

Listed:
  • Andrew Burke

    (Trinity College Dublin)

  • Marc Cowling

    (University of Derby)

Abstract

Freelance solo self-employed have played a transformative role in economies over the last two decades. They have grown in number in the labour market in most developed economies and enabled firms to use new business and workforce models. In this special issue, we present a selection of research which explains and provides new insights into this phenomenon. The research unearths new findings showing that freelance solo self-employed are increasingly highly educated and play a key role in driving innovation, entrepreneurship and job creation. How this interplays across dependent and independent self-employed in terms of well-being, earnings and enablement of women’s work-life objectives are then explored. The problems in labour market segments involving the informal economy as well as the problem of ‘false self-employment’ of masked employees are also explored. In sum, the papers highlight both the importance and diversity amongst the freelance workforce and the purposes for which they are engaged by firms.

Suggested Citation

  • Andrew Burke & Marc Cowling, 2020. "The role of freelancers in entrepreneurship and small business," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 55(2), pages 389-392, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:sbusec:v:55:y:2020:i:2:d:10.1007_s11187-019-00239-5
    DOI: 10.1007/s11187-019-00239-5
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Ivona Huđek & Polona Tominc & Karin Širec, 2021. "The Human Capital of the Freelancers and Their Satisfaction with the Quality of Life," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(20), pages 1-23, October.
    2. Milena Nikolova & Boris Nikolaev & Christopher Boudreaux, 2023. "Being your own boss and bossing others: the moderating effect of managing others on work meaning and autonomy for the self-employed and employees," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 60(2), pages 463-483, February.
    3. Ambituuni, Ambisisi & Azizsafaei, Farzaneh & Keegan, Anne, 2021. "HRM operational models and practices to enable strategic agility in PBOs: Managing paradoxical tensions," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 133(C), pages 170-182.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Freelancers; Entrepreneurship; Small business; Gig economy; Project-based organisations; Flexible work; Flexible organisations;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J41 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Particular Labor Markets - - - Labor Contracts
    • L24 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Contracting Out; Joint Ventures
    • L26 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Entrepreneurship
    • M21 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Business Economics - - - Business Economics
    • O25 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Development Planning and Policy - - - Industrial Policy

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