Abstract:

Employment is the top priority and basic prerequisite for migrant workers to settle in city. This paper explores the impact of entrepreneurial behavior on the happiness of migrant workers, using the data collected from China Migrants Dynamic Survey. We construct a theoretical model relying on happiness utility theory. The empirical results show that entrepreneurs have a higher level of happiness than employees, and opportunity-driven entrepreneurs tend to have a higher level of happiness compared to necessity-driven entrepreneurs. Further, an additional disaggregated analysis reveals that the impact of entrepreneurship on migrant workers happiness is heterogeneous. In particular, entrepreneurship has a larger impact on the happiness of the new generation and men, but has no significant impact on the older generation and women. Nonetheless, entrepreneurs have a higher sense of happiness mainly because they have stronger autonomy in life and higher income level. In addition, opportunity-driven entrepreneurs exhibit greater happiness than necessity-driven entrepreneurs due to their higher social status. This study provides evidence for the micro individual non-monetary return to encourage the innovation and entrepreneurship of migrant workers.

Key words:

migrant workers, happiness, opportunity-driven entrepreneurship, necessity-driven entrepreneurship