Using a large panel of countries, this research examines the influence of income inequality on entrepreneurship. The impact of income disparities on entrepreneurship is not clear a priori—with a positive effect when inequality encourages entrepreneurship (“greasing effect”) or a negative effect when entrepreneurship discourages entrepreneurship (“sanding effect”). Our findings, across alternative measures of income inequality and even allowing for simultaneity, are consistent with the motivation or greasing effect. An equally insightful finding is that the effect of inequality switches across the prevalence of entrepreneurship—the sanding effect exists in nations with a low prevalence of entrepreneurship, and switches to a greasing effect as the prevalence of entrepreneurship increases. This is suggestive of positive network externalities from entrepreneurship—it takes a threshold level of entrepreneurship in a nation for greasing from income inequality to take hold.

中文翻译：

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收入不平等是否会影响创业活动的车轮？国际证据

本研究使用大量国家/地区，检验收入不平等对创业的影响。收入差距对创业的影响并不明确——当不平等鼓励创业时产生积极影响（“润滑效应”），或当创业阻碍创业时产生负面影响（“磨砂效应”）。我们的发现，跨越收入不平等的替代措施，甚至考虑到同时性，与动机或润滑效应是一致的。一个同样有见地的发现是，不平等的影响会随着创业的盛行而转变——打磨效应存在于创业盛行的国家，并随着创业盛行的增加而转变成润滑效应。