Education, social identity and self-employment over time: evidence from a developing country
利用印度伪面板数据，研究发现高等教育随时间降低了个人选择自雇的可能性，但在发达群体中则相反；这种动态在历史上落后的阶层中更显著，且教育调节了社会身份对自雇选择的影响。
Abstract While the extant literature suggests that an individual’s occupational choice depends on the level of economic development, little is known about how the dynamics of education and social identity impact self-employment choice over time in a developing country setting. The pseudo-panel regression results presented here suggest that higher education decreases the likelihood of individuals’ choice of self-employment over time in India, but increases it in most developed cohorts. Such transitional dynamics are more prominent amongst individuals who belong to historically determined backward classes. Furthermore, the results suggest sectoral differences in self-employment choice—individuals with higher education and wealth have a greater likelihood of transiting into self-employment over time in agriculture while similar individuals in non-agriculture exit self-employment. In both sectors, however, education moderates the impact of social identity on self-employment choice. The paper underscores the need for policy shifts towards entrepreneurship along the path of economic development.