Comparative Survival Analysis of Firms: the case of the Portuguese North region

Abstract

This study approaches the survival ability of firms in the North region of Portugal from 1985 to 2007, allowing regional and national comparisons through the application of non-parametric and semi-parametric methods. This analysis is based on the creation of a specific entrepreneurship database, based on Quadros de Pessoal, where the methodology of Eurostat/OECD´s “Manual of Business Demography Statistics” was applied to. In the North, firms close earlier on during their infancy as their median duration is below the median duration of firms located in the rest of the country. The high turbulence of firm turnover is pointed out as a fundamental determinant of the survival probabilities of firms in this region.Entrepreneurship, Firm Dynamics, Survival, Regional Analysis