Self-employment as a route in and out of Britain’s South East

Summary

Based on A. J. Fielding's Escalator Region Model (ERM) on South
East England, this paper examines whether the South East exports its
‘entrepreneurial culture’ and gains entrepreneurial resources through
internal migration using the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS)
1991–2008. Results show that, consistent with the ERM, the region loses
entrepreneurs. However, importantly, out-migrants from the South East
are more likely to exit subsequently from self-employment relative to
other UK internal migrants. Despite its economic functions, the South
East is no more likely to attract (would-be) self-employed entrepreneurs
than other regions. This calls into question to what extent the South
East acts as an ‘escalator’ in terms of self-employment.