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Entrepreneurship in Scotland, 1851–1911

Accepted version
Peer-reviewed

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Type

Article

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Authors

Smith, H 
Bennett, RJ 
Van Lieshout, C 
Montebruno, P 

Abstract

jats:p This article uses the British Business Census of Entrepreneurs (BBCE) to examine the history of entrepreneurship in nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Scotland. The BBCE identifies every business proprietor listed in the 1851–1901 Scottish censuses, correcting for non-response issues. The BBCE, therefore, allows the whole population of Scottish entrepreneurs to be examined for the first time. These data are combined with a reweighted version of the 1911 Scottish Census report to allow the trends in entrepreneurial numbers and rates to be examined as a whole and broken down by sector and gender. The article also shows how entrepreneurship varied by location. This article offers support for previous work on Scottish entrepreneurship, notably stressing the continued importance of small-scale businesses. It also reveals that female entrepreneurship rates were far higher than previously thought. This article lays the groundwork for future studies of Scottish entrepreneurship using the BBCE data. </jats:p>

Description

Keywords

Entrepreneurship, census, economic history, nineteenth century, self-employed, gender

Journal Title

Journal of Scottish Historical Studies

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

1748-538X
1755-1749

Volume Title

41

Publisher

Edinburgh University Press

Rights

All rights reserved
Sponsorship
Economic and Social Research Council (ES/M010953/1)
Isaac Newton Trust (18.40(g))
ESRC ES/M010953