Coming to America: Does Having a Developed Home Country Matter for Self-Employment in the United States?
American Economic Review
vol. 102,
no. 3, May 2012
(pp. 538-42)
Abstract
This research examines the relationship between the economic status of an immigrant's home country and the probability of self-employment in the US. We find that immigrants from developing countries on average have lower self-employment probabilities relative to immigrants from developed countries. Similarly, we find a positive correlation between the current HDI of an immigrant's home country and the probability of self-employment in the US. These result are unexpected given that past research suggests immigrants from countries with high levels of self-employment (developing countries) are more likely to be self-employed in the US. We provide a possible explanation for these results.Citation
Uwaifo Oyelere, Ruth, and Willie Belton. 2012. "Coming to America: Does Having a Developed Home Country Matter for Self-Employment in the United States?" American Economic Review, 102 (3): 538-42. DOI: 10.1257/aer.102.3.538JEL Classification
- J23 Labor Demand
- L26 Entrepreneurship