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What determines self-employment? A comparative study

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  • Ilias Livanos

Abstract

This article consists of a comparative study of the incidence of self-employment (SE) between Greece, which has the highest rate of SE in the European Union and the United Kingdom, which has amongst the lowest. Data from the Greek and the UK Labour Force Surveys are used in order to assess how personal attributes of an individual have an impact on the incidence of SE. It is found that common patterns exist between these two countries. In particular, it is found that for both countries, males have greater odds of being self-employed than females, older people have greater odds than younger, individuals employed in the primary and tertiary sectors have greater odds than the ones employed in the secondary, and that individuals with primary or secondary education have greater odds of being self-employed than individuals holding higher degrees. The incidence of SE is also found to differ according to the occupation of the individual. On the other hand, the findings indicate that individuals, residing in London, have greater odds of being self-employed than individuals working outside UK's capital, whereas in Greece the pattern is reversed.

Suggested Citation

  • Ilias Livanos, 2009. "What determines self-employment? A comparative study," Applied Economics Letters, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 16(3), pages 227-232.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:apeclt:v:16:y:2009:i:3:p:227-232
    DOI: 10.1080/13504850601018320
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    5. Yannis Caloghirou & Ioannis Giotopoulos & Alexandra Kontolaimou & Aggelos Tsakanikas, 2022. "Inside the black box of high-growth firms in a crisis-hit economy: corporate strategy, employee human capital and R&D capabilities," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 18(3), pages 1319-1345, September.
    6. Florence Barugahara & Mildred Barungi, 2023. "Characteristics, Determinants, Challenges and Performance of Self-employment among the Youth in Uganda," International Journal of Economics and Financial Issues, Econjournals, vol. 13(3), pages 1-10, May.
    7. Stanka Zhekova & Dobrina Dimova, 2017. "The Relation between the Education of Economically Active Individuals in Republic of Bulgaria and Their Positions on the Labour Market under Conditions of Economic Instability," Economic Studies journal, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences - Economic Research Institute, issue 3, pages 178-198.
    8. Weerachart Kilenthong & Kittipong Rueanthip, 2016. "The Impact of Family Business Apprenticeship on Entrepreneurship and Survival of Small Businesses: Evidence from Thailand," PIER Discussion Papers 34., Puey Ungphakorn Institute for Economic Research, revised Jun 2016.
    9. Weerachart Kilenthong & Kittipong Rueanthip, 2016. "The Impact of Family Business Apprenticeship on Entrepreneurship and Survival of Small Businesses: Evidence from Thailand," PIER Discussion Papers 34, Puey Ungphakorn Institute for Economic Research.

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