Using self–employment as proxy for entrepreneurship : some empirical caveats

• Self–employment is the most frequently used measure of entrepreneurship. However, its definition varies between countries, which makes comparisons difficult. We present an analysis of Swedish self–employment data and show that even within one country, the depicted development differs greatly depending on the source used. Unlike previous claims in cross–country studies, we find that there is no basis for categorising Sweden as having increased its self–employment rate more than others. This demonstrates a need to carefully specify the characteristics of the data, and their advantages and disadvantages, before drawing conclusions about the frequency of entrepreneurship in different countries.

Ämnesord

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Ekonomi och näringsliv -- Nationalekonomi (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Economics and Business -- Economics (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Labour Force Survey

self–employed workers

self–employment

labour statistics

administrative sources

RAMS

global entrepreneurship index

GEINDEX

high impact entrepreneurship

COMParative ENtrepreneurship Data for International Analysis

COMPENDIA

Sweden

cross–country studies

statistical data

small and medium–sized enterprises

SMEs

entrepreneurs

entrepreneurship research

Europe

General Microdata Analysis - retail

Allmänt Mikrodataaanalys - handel

Economics

Nationalekonomi

Publikations- och innehållstyp

ref (ämneskategori)

art (ämneskategori)