Identity and entrepreneurship

Arbeitspapier

We incorporate the concept of social identity into a stylized model of occupational choice and analyze whether an individual's identity affects his or her decision to become an entrepreneur. We argue that an entrepreneurial identity results from an individual's socialization. This could be parental influence but, as argued in this paper, also peer influence. To test this empirically, we apply instrumental variable approaches to PISA data. Our findings suggest that having an entrepreneurial peer group has a positive effect on an individual's entrepreneurial intentions. Regarding entrepreneurial parents, we find a positive effect that cannot only be explained by ownership succession of the family business.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: CESifo Working Paper ; No. 2661

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity ; Entrepreneurship ; Economic Sociology; Economic Anthropology; Language; Social and Economic Stratification
• Subject: occupational choice ; entrepreneurship ; identity ; peer effects ; Berufswahl ; Unternehmer ; Soziale Beziehungen ; Persönlichkeitspsychologie ; Familiensoziologie ; Theorie ; OECD-Staaten

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Falck, Oliver ; Heblich, Stephan ; Lüdemann, Elke
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): Center for Economic Studies and ifo Institute (CESifo)
• (where): Munich
• (when): 2009

Further information

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/30536
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:42 AM CET