The amendment to the German Trade and Crafts Code in 2004 offers a natural experiment to asses the causal effects of this reform on the probabilities of being self-employed and transition into and out of self-employment, using cross-sections (2002-2006) of German microcensus data. This study...

This paper systematically investigates whether different kinds of personality characteristics influence entrepreneurial development. On the basis of a large, representative household panel survey, we examine the extent to which the Big Five traits and further personality characteristics, which...

A personal bankruptcy law that allows for a "fresh start" after bankruptcy reduces the individual risk involved in entrepreneurial activity. On the other hand, as risk shifts to creditors who recover less of their credit after a debtor's bankruptcy, lenders may charge higher interest rates or...

We assess the relevance of formal education for the productivity of the self-employed and distinguish between opportunity entrepreneurs, who voluntarily pursue a business opportunity, and necessity entrepreneurs, who lack alternative employment options. We expect differences in the returns to...

Start-up subsidies play an important role in supporting start-up innovation and performance. However, what characteristics help and hinder start-ups to seek start-up subsidies remains unclear. We study whether and how founder personality, as captured by the big five personality traits and...

We estimate Frisch labour supply functions for married women using information on desired hours, under the assumptions that these are based on a smooth convex approximation of the budget constraint. The minimum distance approach used allows for correlated random effects both in the wage and in...

In dem letzten Jahrzehnt wurde die Berücksichtigung von Steuern bei der Bewertung von Unternehmen in Theorie und Praxis intensiv diskutiert. Resultat dieser Diskussion war eine Änderung der öffentlichen Stellungnahmen der Wirtschaftsprüfer in Richtung der zwingenden Integration persönlicher...