Self-employment and Mrs Thatcher's enterprise

Abstract

The paper studies self-employment in Great Britain using the British Social Attitude Surveys of 1983 to 1989. Drawing upon (i) direct survey questions, and (ii) econometric analysis, it finds no eivdence for the hypothesis that there was an underlying upward trend in self-employment over the period. An ''enterprise culture'' apparently did not spring up between 1983 and 1989. The paper also summarizes the characteristics and attitudes of the self-employed. They are disproportionately older males, who have never been in a trade union, and who live in low unemployment areas