This paper examines the factors that influence transitions into self-employment, paying particular attention to gender differences. We find that: (i) men are more responsive to the wage differential between wage/salaried employment and self-employment; (ii) liquidity constraints are more...

Using cross-sectional data from the first two rounds of the European Social Survey (ESS), we examine the relationship between income, relative income and happiness across 19 European countries. We find that a positive and statistically significant relationship between income and happiness does...

This paper considers the psychological impact of past unemployment. Using 11 waves of German panel data, we show that life satisfaction is lower not only for the current unemployed (relative to the employed), but also for those with higher levels of past unemployment. However, the negative...

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to model the dynamic path of adjustment towards pre-unemployment levels of wellbeing for a group of full-time workers who experienced job loss. Design/methodology/approach – Based on data from the German Socio-economic Panel, a large-scale panel survey, the...

There is a great deal of variation in the levels of entrepreneurship, or rates of self-employment, across the regions of Britain. Over the period 1983-95, average self-employment in the North, Scotland, and the West Midlands was respectively 25%, 15%, and 15% lower than the national average,...

We examine the correlates of windfall gains amongst a sample of British respondents. Our results suggest that such gains are not random, but are significantly related to a variety of individual characteristics and traits. In particular, proxies of social capital are significantly related to the...

Purpose – To introduce the papers which make up a special issue of IJM on labour market intervention. Design/methodology/approach – Briefly describes each of the five papers which comprise this issue of IJM. Findings – Notes that the study contexts of the papers are New Zealand, the UK,...