Coming to America: Does Having a Developed Home Country Matter for Self-Employment in the United States?

S-Tier
Journal: American Economic Review
Year: 2012
Volume: 102
Issue: 3
Pages: 538-42

Authors (2)

Ruth Uwaifo Oyelere (not in RePEc) Willie Belton (Georgia Institute of Technolog...)

Score contribution per author:

4.022 = (α=2.01 / 2 authors) × 4.0x S-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

This research examines the relationship between the economic status of an immigrant's home country and the probability of self-employment in the US. We find that immigrants from developing countries on average have lower self-employment probabilities relative to immigrants from developed countries. Similarly, we find a positive correlation between the current HDI of an immigrant's home country and the probability of self-employment in the US. These result are unexpected given that past research suggests immigrants from countries with high levels of self-employment (developing countries) are more likely to be self-employed in the US. We provide a possible explanation for these results.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:aea:aecrev:v:102:y:2012:i:3:p:538-42
Journal Field
General
Author Count
2
Added to Database
2026-01-24