Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/203317 
Year of Publication: 
2019
Series/Report no.: 
SAFE Working Paper No. 207
Version Description: 
August 22, 2019
Publisher: 
Goethe University Frankfurt, SAFE - Sustainable Architecture for Finance in Europe, Frankfurt a. M.
Abstract: 
More than 20 million Americans are affiliated with Multi-Level Marketing firms (MLMs), but there is little empirical evidence on who participates in this controversial part of today's labor market. We link data on 350,000 individuals cited in an FTC settlement with one of the largest MLMs to detailed county-level information. We find that participation is greater in areas with higher median income and where women are absent from the labor market, suggesting value in exible work. However, losses are correlated with higher inequality and lower social capital, suggesting that the pitfalls accrue to vulnerable groups.
Subjects: 
Multi-level marketing
Alternative work
Consumer nancial protection
Persistent Identifier of the first edition: 
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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