The Returns to Education in Entrepreneurship: Heterogeneity and Non-Linearities

Jens Iversen, Nikolaj Malchow-Møller, Anders Sørensen

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

Abstract

The returns to education in self-employment are addressed in four different specifications of the relationship between log income and years of schooling. The specifications range from a standard Mincer equation with a constant percentage increase in income for an additional year of schooling to the most flexible specification with dummy variables for different combinations of years of schooling and fields of study. Based on the more flexible specifications, important non-linearities and heterogeneity in the returns to education in self-employment are found. These results are robust across different estimation methods: OLS, Heckit correction models handling sample selection, and IV dealing with the potential endogeneity of years of schooling. Moreover, the results are robust to the use of different sample years, different definitions of self-employment, and different income measures for the self-employed.
Original languageEnglish
Article number5
JournalEntrepreneurship Research Journal
Volume1
Issue number3
Number of pages36
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2011

Keywords

  • Returns to education
  • Entrepreneurs
  • Instruments
  • Sample selection

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