Explaining National Differences in the Size and Industrial Distribution of Employment

Steven Davis and Magnus Henrekson ()

No 482, Working Paper Series from Research Institute of Industrial Economics

Abstract: What factors determine national differences in the size and industry distribution of employment? This study stresses the role of business taxation, employment security laws, credit market policies, wage-setting institutions and the size of the public sector. We characterize these aspects of the economic policy environment in Sweden prior to 1990-91 and compare them to the situation in other European countries and the United States. Our characterization and international comparisons show that Swedish policies strongly disfavored less capital-intensive firms, smaller firms, entry by new firms, and individual and family ownership of business. We also compile evidence that these policies affect outcomes. Taking the U.S. industrial distribution as a benchmark that reflects a comparatively neutral set of policies and institutions, Sweden's employment distribution in the mid-1980s is sharply tilted away from low-wage industries and industries with greater employment shares for smaller firms and establishments. The Swedish rate of self-employment in the 1970s and 1980s is the lowest among all OECD countries. Compared to other European countries, Sweden has an unusually high share of employment in large firms.

Keywords: Business Taxation; Industrial Policy; Industry Structure; Size Distribution (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: H30 J21 L52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 41 pages
Date: 1997-06-01
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-pub
Note: Forthcoming in Small Business Economics
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

Published in Small Business Economics, 1999, pages 25.

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