Data and Code for: "Demographic Origins of the Startup Deficit"

Principal Investigator(s):  View help for Principal Investigator(s) Fatih Karahan, Amazon; Benjamin Pugsley, University of Notre Dame; Aysegul Sahin, University of Texas-Austin

Version:  View help for Version V1

Name File Type Size Last Modified
  data 05/20/2024 05:30:PM
  model 05/21/2024 08:56:AM
  output 04/28/2023 09:12:AM
  programs 05/20/2024 05:55:PM
README.pdf application/pdf 281 KB 05/22/2024 04:05:AM
README.txt text/plain 21 KB 05/22/2024 04:03:AM

Project Citation: 

Karahan, Fatih, Pugsley, Benjamin, and Sahin, Aysegul. Data and Code for: “Demographic Origins of the Startup Deficit.” Nashville, TN: American Economic Association [publisher], 2024. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2024-05-29. https://doi.org/10.3886/E188261V1

Project Description

Summary:  View help for Summary
We propose a simple explanation for the long-run decline in the U.S. startup rate. It originates from a slowdown in labor supply growth since the late 1970s, largely pre-determined by demographics. This channel can explain roughly half of the decline and why incumbent firm survival and average growth over the life cycle have changed little. We show these results in a standard model of firm dynamics and test the mechanism using cross-state variation in labor supply growth. Finally, we show that a longer entry rate series imputed using historical establishment tabulations rises over the 1960-70s period of accelerating labor force growth. 


Scope of Project

JEL Classification:  View help for JEL Classification
      D22 Firm Behavior: Empirical Analysis
      E24 Employment; Unemployment; Wages; Intergenerational Income Distribution; Aggregate Human Capital; Aggregate Labor Productivity
      J11 Demographic Trends, Macroeconomic Effects, and Forecasts
Geographic Coverage:  View help for Geographic Coverage United States
Time Period(s):  View help for Time Period(s) 1979 – 2007


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Published Versions

V1 [2024-05-29]

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