What makes a 'jack-of-all-trades'?

Dirk Oberschachtsiek
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Dirk Oberschachtsiek: WZB

No 200910, IAB-Discussion Paper from Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany]

Abstract: "This paper addresses the 'Jack-of-all-Trades' hypothesis, which presumes that it is individuals' variety of competencies/experience that drives entrepreneurship instead of their level of productivity (Lazear, 2005). The analysis focuses on two related dimensions of this variety argument: taste for variety (identified due to desire) and investment in ability (identified due to competence). First, the results show that it is important to distinguish between discrete and high level investments in the variety of experience. For instance, a high level of investment - which defines a 'Jack-of-all-Trades' - is less correlated with formal schooling than discrete investments. Second, the results indicate that both taste (desire) and ability (competence) correlate with the variety of experience, but the nature of the correlation differs. Particularly for males, the 'Jack-of-all-Trades'-hypothesis predominately relates to competence and not to desire." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Keywords: Bundesrepublik Deutschland; berufliche Qualifikation; Berufserfahrung; Determinanten; Fachkenntnisse; Geschlechterverteilung; Humankapital; Kompetenz; Lebensalter; Unternehmenserfolg; unternehmerische Qualifikation; 2003-2003 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J23 J24 M13 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 23 pages
Date: 2009
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-ent
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:iab:iabdpa:200910

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