Title: The Household Origins of Entrepreneurship: the Role of Spousal Skill Complementarity

Speaker: Ou Qicong, Assistant Researcher at School of Economics, Shandong University. He earned his Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Maryland, USA in 2023, specializing in macroeconomics. He previously served as a Research Assistant Professor at the School of Accounting and Finance, Hong Kong Polytechnic University. His research focuses on household economics, inequality, monetary policy, international finance, innovation and economic growth.

Abstract: Most entrepreneurs are middle-aged and married, yet entrepreneurship is rarely studied as a joint household problem. Using Danish administrative data, we provide causal evidence that marriage increases the likelihood of entry into transformative entrepreneurship – firms that hire high-tech workers and drive innovation-led growth. We identify spousal skill complementarity – distinct skills that, when combined, are closer to the skill profile of transformative entrepreneurs – as a novel mechanism underlying this effect and improving firm performance. A stylized model formalizes how couples' joint occupational choices depend on their skill complementarity. Our results highlight the importance of household skill composition for entrepreneurial outcomes and suggest that demographic trends in marriage and the skill composition of couples may have macroeconomic implications for entrepreneurship.

Date & time: 16 April 2026, 12:15-13:15

Venue: B321, Zhixin Building, Central Campus, Shandong University