Thematic Areas
Religion and Entrepreneurship in the Contemporary United States
Principal Investigator: Christopher G. EllisonAdditional Investigators: Daniel A. Powers, Co-Investigator
Funded by: Kauffmann Foundation
The role of religion in shaping entrepreneurial activities in the contemporary United States or other western societies remains understudied and poorly understood. This oversight is striking because: (a) small business activity is a major source of job growth in the contemporary US; (b) self-employment is especially crucial for certain subgroups within the population that lack key opportunities or resources (e.g., racial/ethnic minorities, immigrants); and (c) self-employment often involves low rates of return for long hours, and small (and new) businesses have high failure rates.
To understand whether, and how, religious communities, beliefs, and values may promote or hinder individual tendencies to engage in such arduous and risky pursuits, Dr. Ellsion is analyzing the National Longitudinal Study of Youth (NLSY79) to explore the role of religious background and practice in predicting subsequent trajectories and transitions into (and out of) self-employment and business ownership within one cohort of individuals. He will also examine variations in the links between religion and entrepreneurship across gender, race/ethnicity, social class background, and place of residence within this cohort.