Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/107422 
Year of Publication: 
2015
Series/Report no.: 
DIW Discussion Papers No. 1447
Publisher: 
Deutsches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung (DIW), Berlin
Abstract: 
Germany experienced a unique rise in the level of self-employment in the first two decades following unification. Applying the non-linear Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition technique, we find that the main factors driving these changes in the overall level of self-employment are demographic developments, the shift towards service sector employment, and a larger share of population holding a tertiary degree. While these factors explain most of the development in self-employment with employees and the overall level of self-employment in West Germany, their explanatory power is much lower for the stronger increase of solo self-employment and of self-employment in former socialist East Germany.
Subjects: 
self-employment
non-linear Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition technique
entrepreneurship
Germany
JEL: 
L26
D22
Document Type: 
Working Paper

Files in This Item:
File
Size
927.27 kB





Items in EconStor are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.