Can working conditions explain the return-to-entrepreneurship puzzle?

Most self-employed would apparently earn higher earnings if they were working in paid employment. One explanation for this “return-to-entrepreneur-ship puzzle” could be that entrepreneurship entails substantial non-monetary bene-fits, such as autonomy, flexibility, and task variety. Utilizing German data and a de-composition analysis, this study examines the contribution of such working condi-tions to the observed earnings differential between self-employment and paid em-ployment. The results imply that working conditions differences do not contribute to resolve the return-to-entrepreneurship puzzle. Rather, (mis-)measurement of earnings seems to be an issue.