El capital social y el autoempleo en EEUU: Evidencia con datos de Facebook

Gutierrez-Lythgoe, Antonio (2023): El capital social y el autoempleo en EEUU: Evidencia con datos de Facebook.

Abstract

This study aims to analyse disparities in entrepreneurship across the United States, taking into account the diverse socioeconomic contexts of each county and emphasizing the role of social capital structures and their connections to nearby regions. To conduct this research, we utilize data on Non-farm Proprietorships (NFP) as an indicator of entrepreneurial activity, sourced from the US Bureau of Economic Analysis, in conjunction with socioeconomic and demographic variables from the US Census Bureau, and social network data from Facebook via the Social Capital Atlas project. Employing spatial econometric techniques, we examine spatial dependence patterns and reveal a statistically significant and positive spatial autocorrelation. Particularly, we identify statistically significant correlations between the proportion of connections among different socioeconomic groups and entrepreneurial activity, as well as negative correlations between the Social Cohesion Index and non-farm proprietorships. These findings corroborate the significance of "weak ties" in social networks, as theorised by Granovetter, and underscore how associations with individuals of higher socioeconomic status could invigorate entrepreneurial initiatives, carrying notable practical implications for entrepreneurship promotion and policy development.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• English Title: Social Capital and Self-Employment in the United States: Evidence from Facebook Data
• Language: Spanish
• Keywords: Non-farm proprietorship; Social Capital; Facebook data; Spatial Econometrics
• Subjects: C - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods > C2 - Single Equation Models ; Single Variables > C21 - Cross-Sectional Models ; Spatial Models ; Treatment Effect Models ; Quantile Regressions; L - Industrial Organization > L2 - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior > L26 - Entrepreneurship; R - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics > R1 - General Regional Economics > R11 - Regional Economic Activity: Growth, Development, Environmental Issues, and Changes

References

Acs, Z. J., & Armington, C. (2006). Entrepreneurship, geography, and American economic growth. Cambridge University Press.

Allen, W. D. (2000). Social networks and self-employment. The Journal of socio-economics, 29(5), 487-501.

Almeida, A., Golpe, A., & Justo, R. (2021). From hot to cold: A spatial analysis of self‐employment in the United States. Papers in Regional Science, 100(4), 1005-1023.

Anselin, L. (1988). Lagrange multiplier test diagnostics for spatial dependence and spatial heterogeneity. Geographical analysis, 20(1), 1-17.

Barrado, B., & Molina, J. A. (2015). Factores macroeconómicos que estimulan el emprendimiento. Un análisis para los países desarrollados y no desarrollados. Documento de Trabajo, 6.

Belloc, I., Molina, J. A., & Velilla, J. (2022). Living in rural areas and self-employment. IZA DP, nº 15059.

Bignall, N. M., & Debbage, K. G. (2020). Self-employment by US county: key predictors. Journal of Enterprising Communities: People and Places in the Global Economy, 14(4), 583-602.

Braunerhjelm, P., Acs, Z. J., Audretsch, D. B., & Carlsson, B. (2010). The missing link: knowledge diffusion and entrepreneurship in endogenous growth. Small Business Economics, 34, 105-125.

Bourdieu, P. (2018). The forms of capital. In The sociology of economic life (pp. 78-92). Routledge.

Campaña, J.C., Giménez-Nadal, J.I. and Molina, J.A. (2016). Differences between self-employees and wage earners in time uses: Aragón vs. Spain. MPRA Paper 71463.

Campaña, J. C., Giménez-Nadal, J. I., & Molina, J. A. (2020). Self-employed and employed mothers in Latin American families: Are there differences in paid work, unpaid work, and child care?. Journal of Family and Economic Issues, 41, 52-69.

Cheng, S., & Li, H. (2011). Spatially varying relationships of new firm formation in the United States. Regional Studies, 45(6), 773-789.

Chetty, R., Jackson, M. O., Kuchler, T., Stroebel, J., Hendren, N., Fluegge, R. B., ... & Wernerfelt, N. (2022a). Social capital I: measurement and associations with economic mobility. Nature, 608(7921), 108-121.

Chetty, R., Jackson, M. O., Kuchler, T., Stroebel, J., Hendren, N., Fluegge, R. B., ... & Wernerfelt, N. (2022b). Social capital II: determinants of economic connectedness. Nature, 608(7921), 122-134.

Coleman, J. S. (1988). Social capital in the creation of human capital. American journal of sociology, 94, S95-S120.

Cowell, M., Lyon-Hill, S., & Tate, S. (2018). It takes all kinds: understanding diverse entrepreneurial ecosystems. Journal of Enterprising Communities: People and Places in the Global Economy, 12(2), 178-198.

Debbage, K. G., & Bowen, S. (2018). Non-farm proprietorship employment by US metropolitan area. Journal of Enterprising Communities: People and Places in the Global Economy, 12(2), 139-157.

Fritsch, M., & Wyrwich, M. (2014). The effect of regional entrepreneurship culture on economic development: Evidence for Germany (No. 2014-014). Jena Economic Research Papers.

Gimenez-Nadal, J. I., Molina, J. A., & Ortega, R. (2012). Self-employed mothers and the work-family conflict. Applied Economics, 44(17), 2133-2147.

Giménez, J.I. , Molina, J.A. and Velilla, J. (2015). Excess commuting in the US: Differences between the self-employed and employees. IZA DP Nº 9425.

Giménez, J.I. , Molina, J.A. and Velilla, J. (2016). A wage- efficiency spatial model for US self-employed workers. IZA DP Nº 9634.

Gimenez-Nadal, J. I., Molina, J. A., & Velilla, J. (2018). The commuting behavior of workers in the United States: differences between the employed and the self-employed. Journal of transport geography, 66, 19-29.

Giménez-Nadal, J. I., Molina, J. A., & Velilla, J. (2022a). Intergenerational correlation of self-employment in Western Europe. Economic Modelling, 108, 105741.

Giménez-Nadal, J. I., Molina, J. A., & Velilla, J. (2022b). The intergenerational correlation of employment in Europe: a cross-country analysis. Applied Economics Letters, 29(11), 1022-1026.

Goetz, S. J., & Rupasingha, A. (2009). Determinants of growth in non-farm proprietor densities in the US, 1990–2000. Small Business Economics, 32, 425-438.

Goetz, S. J., & Rupasingha, A. (2014). The determinants of self-employment growth: Insights from county-level data, 2000-2009. Economic Development Quarterly, 28(1), 42-60.

Henderson, J., & Weiler, S. (2010). Entrepreneurs and job growth: probing the boundaries of time and space. Economic development quarterly, 24(1), 23-32.

Jackson, M. O. (2020). A typology of social capital and associated network measures. Social choice and welfare, 54(2-3), 311-336.

Kangasharju, A. (2000). Regional variations in firm formation: Panel and cross‐section data evidence from Finland. Papers in Regional Science, 79(4), 355-373.

Kerr, W. R., & Mandorff, M. (2023). Social networks, ethnicity, and entrepreneurship. Journal of Human Resources, 58(1), 183-220.

LeSage, J. P., & Pace, R. K. (2009). Spatial econometric models. In Handbook of applied spatial analysis: Software tools, methods and applications (pp. 355-376). Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer Berlin Heidelberg.

LeSage, J. P. (2014). What regional scientists need to know about spatial econometrics. Available at SSRN 2420725.

Liguori, E., Winkler, C., Hechavarria, D., & Lange, J. (2018). Interdisciplinary perspectives on entrepreneurial ecosystems. Journal of Enterprising Communities: People and Places in the Global Economy, 5.

Loury, G. C. (1976). A dynamic theory of racial income differences (No. 225). Discussion paper.

Matilla-García, M. (2017). Aspectos cuantitativos del análisis de redes sociales. Papeles de Economía Española, 152, 2.

Molina, J. A. (2020). Family and entrepreneurship: New empirical and theoretical results. Journal of Family and Economic Issues, 41, 1-3.

Molina, J.A., Velilla, J. and Ortega, R. (2016). The decision to become an entrepreneur in Spain: the role of household finances. International Journal of Entrepreneurship, 20(1), 57-73.

Pace, R. K., & LeSage, J. P. (2008). A spatial Hausman test. Economics Letters, 101(3), 282-284.

Portes, A. (1998). Social capital: Its origins and applications in modern sociology. Annual review of sociology, 24(1), 1-24.

Putnam, R. (1993). The prosperous community: Social capital and public life. The american, 4.

Rupasingha, A., & Goetz, S. J. (2013). Self‐employment and local economic performance: Evidence from US counties. Papers in Regional Science, 92(1), 141-161.

Simoes, N., Crespo, N., & Moreira, S. B. (2016). Individual determinants of self‐employment entry: What do we really know?. Journal of economic surveys, 30(4), 783-806.

Shrestha, S. S., Goetz, S. J., & Rupasingha, A. (2007). Proprietorship formations and US job growth. Review of Regional Studies, 37(2), 146-168.

Stam, E. (2010). Entrepreneurship, evolution and geography. The handbook of evolutionary economic geography, 307-348.

Velilla, J., Molina, J. A., & Ortega, R. (2018). Why older workers become entrepreneurs? International evidence using fuzzy set methods. The Journal of the Economics of Ageing, 12, 88-95.

Walter, S. G., & Heinrichs, S. (2015). Who becomes an entrepreneur? A 30-years-review of individual-level research. Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, 22(2), 225-248.