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<p>This paper investigates whether individuals’ relative (status or positional) concerns are associated with their transitions from paid employment or inactivity to self-employment. The conjecture is that stress and anxiety arising from socio-economic comparisons may be motivating factors for individuals to establish their own businesses. We examine this using the Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) dataset, a long panel spanning three decades. Employing fixed-effects panel model specifications, we find that an increase in the income and job prestige of comparable others is associated with a higher probability of transitioning from paid employment or inactivity to self-employment. On average, a 10% rise in the income or job prestige of comparable others corresponds to a 7–10% higher likelihood of transitioning to self-employment. These findings are robust across various checks, including estimators, income definitions, and reference groups. The paper also explores catalysing factors such as risk-taking, skills, and autonomy, which moderate the relationship between relative concerns and the transition to self-employment.</p>

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“Status” concerns and self-employment transitions

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

    开放获取

  • 发表日期：

    2025年4月28日

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  • Alpaslan Akay,
  • Levent Yilmaz

摘要

This paper investigates whether individuals’ relative (status or positional) concerns are associated with their transitions from paid employment or inactivity to self-employment. The conjecture is that stress and anxiety arising from socio-economic comparisons may be motivating factors for individuals to establish their own businesses. We examine this using the Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) dataset, a long panel spanning three decades. Employing fixed-effects panel model specifications, we find that an increase in the income and job prestige of comparable others is associated with a higher probability of transitioning from paid employment or inactivity to self-employment. On average, a 10% rise in the income or job prestige of comparable others corresponds to a 7–10% higher likelihood of transitioning to self-employment. These findings are robust across various checks, including estimators, income definitions, and reference groups. The paper also explores catalysing factors such as risk-taking, skills, and autonomy, which moderate the relationship between relative concerns and the transition to self-employment.