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Historical shocks and persistence of economic activity: evidence on self-employment from a unique natural experiment

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  • Michael Fritsch
  • Alina Sorgner
  • Michael Wyrwich
  • Evguenii Zazdravnykh

Abstract

This paper investigates the persistence of self-employment in the districts of Kaliningrad, a Russian exclave, between 1925 and 2010. The area experienced a number of disruptive historical shocks during this period. This setting rules out the fact that the persistence of self-employment can be explained by the persistence of institutions and culture. Nevertheless, a high level of persistence of industry-specific self-employment rates is found. It is argued that a historical tradition of entrepreneurship created an awareness about the entrepreneurial potential of regions among the new population that was yielded after the collapse of the Soviet Union. This effect seems to be higher in regions where a specific industry was advanced in terms of technology use.

Suggested Citation

  • Michael Fritsch & Alina Sorgner & Michael Wyrwich & Evguenii Zazdravnykh, 2019. "Historical shocks and persistence of economic activity: evidence on self-employment from a unique natural experiment," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 53(6), pages 790-802, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:regstd:v:53:y:2019:i:6:p:790-802
    DOI: 10.1080/00343404.2018.1492112
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Voth, Hans-Joachim, 2020. "Persistence – Myth and Mystery," CEPR Discussion Papers 15417, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    2. Galina Shirokova & Tatiana Beliaeva & Tatiana S. Manolova, 2023. "The Role of Context for Theory Development: Evidence From Entrepreneurship Research on Russia," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 47(6), pages 2384-2418, November.
    3. Michael Fritsch & Michael Wyrwich, 2022. "Initial conditions and regional performance in the aftermath of disruptive shocks: the case of East Germany after socialism [The knowledge spillover theory of entrepreneurship]," Industrial and Corporate Change, Oxford University Press and the Associazione ICC, vol. 31(6), pages 1428-1459.
    4. Michael Fritsch & Michael Wyrwich, 2020. "Technological Complexity and Economic Growth of Regions," Papers in Evolutionary Economic Geography (PEEG) 2050, Utrecht University, Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning, Group Economic Geography, revised Oct 2020.
    5. Annie Tubadji & Frédéric Boy & Don J. Webber, 2023. "Narrative Economics, Public Policy and Mental Health," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 18(1), pages 43-70, February.
    6. André Cherubini Alves & Bruno Brandão Fischer & Nicholas S. Vonortas, 2021. "Ecosystems of entrepreneurship: configurations and critical dimensions," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 67(1), pages 73-106, August.
    7. Andreas Rauch & Willem Hulsink, 2023. "Just one Damned Thing After Another: Towards an Event-based Perspective of Entrepreneurship," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 47(3), pages 662-681, May.
    8. Fossen, Frank M. & McLemore, Trevor & Sorgner, Alina, 2024. "Artificial Intelligence and Entrepreneurship," IZA Discussion Papers 17055, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    9. Bijedić, Teita & Butkowski, Olivier K. & Kay, Rosemarie & Suprinovič, Olga, 2020. "Bestimmungsfaktoren des regionalen Gründungsgeschehens - eine Machbarkeitsstudie," IfM-Materialien 280, Institut für Mittelstandsforschung (IfM) Bonn.
    10. Maria Greve & Michael Fritsch & Michael Wyrwich, 2023. "Long‐term decline of regions and the rise of populism: The case of Germany," Journal of Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 63(2), pages 409-445, March.
    11. Fritsch, Michael & Obschonka, Martin & Wahl, Fabian & Wyrwich, Michael, 2020. "The deep imprint of Roman sandals: Evidence of long-lasting effects of Roman rule on personality, economic performance, and well-being in Germany," Hohenheim Discussion Papers in Business, Economics and Social Sciences 05-2020, University of Hohenheim, Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Sciences.
    12. Huan Yang & Xinning Zhang, 2023. "Persistence of culture: how the entrepreneurial culture of origin contributes to migrant entrepreneurship," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 61(3), pages 1179-1204, October.
    13. Maksim Belitski & Ana-Maria Grigore & Anca Bratu, 2021. "Political entrepreneurship: entrepreneurship ecosystem perspective," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 17(4), pages 1973-2004, December.
    14. Michael Fritsch & Korneliusz Pylak & Michael Wyrwich, 2022. "Historical roots of entrepreneurship in different regional contexts—the case of Poland," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 59(1), pages 397-412, June.
    15. Uwe Cantner & James A. Cunningham & Erik E. Lehmann & Matthias Menter, 2021. "Entrepreneurial ecosystems: a dynamic lifecycle model," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 57(1), pages 407-423, June.

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