Selection into Entrepreneurship and Self-Employment

Abstract

We study the effects of ability and liquidity constraints on entrepreneurship. We develop a three sector Roy model that differentiates between entrepreneurs and other self-employed to address puzzling gaps that have emerged between theory and evidence on entry into entrepreneurship. The model predicts-and the data confirm-that entrepreneurs are positively selected on highly-remunerated cognitive and non-cognitive human capital skills, but other self-employed are negatively selected on those same abilities; entrepreneurs are positively selected on collateral, but other self-employed are not; and entrepreneurship is procyclical, but self-employment is countercyclical.

Keywords: business cycles, Corporate Finance, entrepreneurship, Human Capital, Occupational choice

JEL Classification: E32, G32, J24, L26