Intensity of time and income interdependent multidimensional poverty : well-being and minimum 2DGAP ; German evidence

It is common sense that (liberal) professions and entrepreneurs (tradesmen) as self-employed are rich by money and, because of their independence and time sovereignty, are rich by time, too. This study tries to shed empirically based light on the issue and the well-being situation of the professions and entrepreneurs in particular by asking not only about income poverty but also about time poverty within the framework of a new interdependent multidimensional poverty approach. Database is the German Socio-Economic Panel (GSOEP) for the evaluation of the substitution/trade-off of genuine leisure time and income as well as the German Time Use Surveys (GTUS) 1991/92 and 2001/02 for the actual poverty analyses. Altogether, compared to employees a particular concernment of multidimensional time and income poverty of professions and notably entrepreneurs is identified; a result which is in contrast to common valuation. A remarkable percentage of the not income poor but time poor employees in general, and professions as well as entrepreneurs in particular, is not able to compensate their time deficit by income. These individuals are neglected in the poverty and well-being discussion so far, in the discussion about the “woorking poor” as well as in the discussion concerning time stress and time presure in generall, and for professions as well as entrepreneurs in particular.