Transitions to and from Self-Employment in Spain: An Empirical Analysis

This paper investigates the influence of individual characteristics and the business cycle on the probability of entry into self-employment and on self-employment duration. We estimate multinomial logit and discrete competing risks models using data from a longitudinal sample of Spanish men for the period 1985-1991. The results indicate that unemployment rises the probability of entering self-employment, but also increases the hazard of leaving self-employment, specially into unemployment.