Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/19871 
Authors: 
Year of Publication: 
2007
Series/Report no.: 
Proceedings of the German Development Economics Conference, Göttingen 2007 No. 15
Publisher: 
Verein für Socialpolitik, Ausschuss für Entwicklungsländer, Göttingen
Abstract: 
Most occupational choice models introduce only two options for agents: entrepreneurial activities or wage-employment. However, these models represent inadequately the labor force distribution from developing countries, where an important proportion of the total work force are self-employed workers. Some models introduce self-employment as an occupational choice. These works have a common feature : at equilibrium, wage earners belong to the lower end of the income distribution. However, for a large set of developing countries, peasants and small proprietors are part of a self employment sector that can mostly be found in the lower end of the income distribution. In this work, in contrast with previous efforts, self-employment formation is consistent with data from most developing countries. We pay special attention to the conditions under which either the economy ends in a low income equilibrium, where self-employment is the only form of production; or alternatively, a high income equilibrium with a well developed labor market. We study some public policy issues, paying special attention to role of capital markets and the efficiency of schooling.
Subjects: 
Occupational Choice
Human Capital
Economic Development
General Equilibrium
JEL: 
O12
J24
Document Type: 
Conference Paper

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