Being Independent is a Great Thing: Subjective Evaluations of Self-Employment and Hierarchy

Abstract

One can be independent, or subject to decisions made by others. This paper argues that this difference, embodied in the institutional difference between the decisionmaking procedures “market” and “hierarchy”, affects individual well-being beyond outcomes. Taking self-employment as an important case of independence, it is shown that the self-employed derive higher satisfaction from work than people employed innorganizations, irrespective of income gained or hours worked. This is evidence for procedural utility: people do not only value outcomes, but also the processes leading to outcomes.