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The Review of Economics and Statistics Vol. 93 No. 1 2011

License to Sell: The Effect of Business Registration Reform on Entrepreneurial Activity in Mexico

Miriam Bruhn

World Bank Group

Abstract

This paper estimates the economic effects of a recent reform that simplified business entry regulation in Mexico. The reform was introduced in different municipalities at different points in time. Using microlevel data, I find that the reform increased the number of registered businesses by 5%. This increase was due to former wage earners' opening businesses. Former unregistered business owners were not more likely to register their business after the reform. The reform also increased wage employment by 2.2%. Finally, the results imply that the competition from new entrants decreased the income of incumbent businesses by 3%.

DOI
10.1162/rest_a_00059
Volume
93
Issue
1
Pages
382-386
Language
en
Sources
openalex crossref

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