We construct a structural model of entry into self-employment to evaluate the impact of policies supporting entrepreneurship. Previous work has recognized that workers may opt for self-employment due to the non-pecuniary benefits of running a business and not necessarily because they are good at...

This paper develops and estimates a dynamic structural model of demand for a multi-attribute product. The demand side equilibrium supports a product spectrum, the characteristics of which evolve over time in response to supply innovations induced by the composition and extent of aggregate...

We use payroll and consumer credit data to estimate the effect of the minimum wage on the debts of low-wage workers. In the three years following a $0.88 increase in the minimum wage, the average low-wage worker experiences a $2,712 increase in income and a $856 decrease in debt. The entire...

A puzzling feature of entrepreneurship is that many individuals are self-employed even though they would earn more in paid employment. To shed light on this puzzle, we examine the role of personality traits in determining entrepreneurial decisions and earnings. We estimate a model in which...

We examine individuals' decisions to attend Black Lives Matter protests and demonstrations calling for less stringent COVID-19 public health measures (e.g., for swifter reopening of businesses) during the summer of 2020 in the US. We find that attending one type of protest strongly predicts...

We examine individuals' decision to attend Black Lives Matter protests and demonstrations calling for less stringent public health measures to combat COVID-19 (e.g., for swifter reopening of businesses). Our analysis is facilitated by a unique staggered panel data set originally constructed to...

We construct a structural model of entry into self-employment to evaluate the impact of policies supporting entrepreneurship. Previous work has recognized that workers may opt for self-employment due to the nonpecuniary benefits of running a business and not necessarily because they are good at...