Housing wealth, liquidity constraints and self-employment

Richard Disney and John Gathergood

Labour Economics, 2009, vol. 16, issue 1, 79-88

Abstract: This paper investigates the existence of liquidity constraints facing entrepreneurs in the United Kingdom. Using a household-level panel data set, entry to self-employment is shown to be a function of household net worth. We use inheritances and unanticipated movements in house prices as instruments for shocks to liquidity. Results indicate that inheritances are a poor instrument for liquidity constraints because both past and future inheritances predict entry to self-employment. House prices shocks are a more plausible instrument because self-employed households disproportionately re-mortgage, but our results again indicate little evidence of house price shocks unbinding liquidity constraints facing the would-be self-employed.

Keywords: Self-employment; Liquidity; Windfalls (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2009
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (58)

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Working Paper: Housing Wealth, Liquidity Constraints and Self-Employment (2008)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:labeco:v:16:y:2009:i:1:p:79-88

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