American Economic Review
ISSN 0002-8282 (Print) | ISSN 1944-7981 (Online)
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