Startup stations: the impact of rail access on entrepreneurship (self-employment) in England and Wales

Sanchis-Guarner, Rosa, Szumilo, Nikodem and Vernet, Antoine (2024) Startup stations: the impact of rail access on entrepreneurship (self-employment) in England and Wales. Geography and Environment Discussion Paper Series (46). Department of Geography and Environment, The London School of Economics and Political Science, London, UK.

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Abstract

We study the impact of improved rail access on entrepreneurship rates in England and Wales. We use data from the Census spanning 2001, 2011, and 2021 to analyse self-employment rates in granular geographic areas of around 200 residents. Specifically, we study how they respond to changes in the distance to the nearest train station occurring due to 56 new station openings. We find that all else equal, moving 1 km further away from a station reduces self-employment rates by 0.12 percentage points, with the effect dissipating beyond 7 km. Secondary results suggest that access to rail makes it easier to become self-employed while not making it more attractive compared to employment. Our findings suggest that rail infrastructure improvements can support local entrepreneurship and economic activity, contributing to regional development and reducing economic inequality.

Item Type:	Monograph (Discussion Paper)
Official URL:	https://www.lse.ac.uk/geography-and-environment/re...
Additional Information:	© 2024 The Authors
Divisions:	Economics
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor H Social Sciences > HC Economic History and Conditions H Social Sciences > HE Transportation and Communications
JEL classification:	L - Industrial Organization > L2 - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior > L20 - General O - Economic Development, Technological Change, and Growth > O1 - Economic Development > O18 - Regional, Urban, and Rural Analyses R - Urban, Rural, and Regional Economics > R1 - General Regional Economics > R11 - Regional Economic Activity: Growth, Development, and Changes
Date Deposited:	27 Aug 2024 13:54
Last Modified:	28 Aug 2024 23:18
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/124680

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