Local Industrial Conditions and Entrepreneurship: How Much of the Spatial Distribution Can We Explain?

Edward Glaeser and William Kerr

Working Papers from U.S. Census Bureau, Center for Economic Studies

Abstract: Why are some places more entrepreneurial than others? We use Census Bureau data to study local determinants of manufacturing startups across cities and industries. Demo- graphics have limited explanatory power. Overall levels of local customers and suppliers are only modestly important, but new entrants seem particularly drawn to areas with many smaller suppliers, as suggested by Chinitz (1961). Abundant workers in relevant occupations also strongly predict entry. These forces plus city and industry fixed effects explain between sixty and eighty percent of manufacturing entry. We use spatial distributions of natural cost advantages to address partially endogeneity concerns.

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Industrial Organization; Agglomeration; Labor Markets; Input-Output Flows; Innovation; Research and Development; Patents (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J2 L0 L1 L2 L6 O3 R2 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 52 pages
Date: 2008-10
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

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https://www2.census.gov/ces/wp/2008/CES-WP-08-37.pdf First version, 2008 (application/pdf)

Related works:
Journal Article: Local Industrial Conditions and Entrepreneurship: How Much of the Spatial Distribution Can We Explain? (2009)
Working Paper: Local Industrial Conditions and Entrepreneurship: How Much of the Spatial Distribution Can We Explain? (2008)
Working Paper: Local Industrial Conditions and Entrepreneurship: How Much of the Spatial Distribution Can We Explain? (2008)
Chapter: Local Industrial Conditions and Entrepreneurship: How Much of a Spatial Distribution Can We Explain? (2007)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:cen:wpaper:08-37

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