The theory of hysteresis in the earnings function is tested by investigating its existence across a variety of occupations. Hysteresis signals are detected for professionals and executives, but not for manual construction workers or for the self-employed, so lending support to the theory.

A simple model is presented which predicts that the inequality of lifetime wealth is a bounded random walk process. Empirical support for the model is found using UK data for 1970-94.

We explore the macrostructure of entrepreneurship rates in a panel of 23 OECD countries over 1972--2006. We find that rates of entrepreneurship in OECD countries exhibit persistence rather than hysteresis. Implications for the design of entrepreneurship policies are discussed.