Paul D. Reynolds, Paul T. Babson Professor in Entrepreneurial Studies at Babson College, in Wellesley, Mass., points out that the information we have doesn't allow us to make easy comparisons. "The best we can say is that most industrialized nations have comparable rates of entrepreneurial activity," he says, adding that regional variations within countries are much more dramatic than variations among countries. (Inc.com/magazine, May 1996.)

The importance of the entrepreneur is also evident in recent comments from the National Federation of Independent Businesses, which represents small companies. NFIB's surveys of its 600,000 members indicate job creation among small businesses is "much more consistent with the household survey than the payroll survey." Corroborating that, the personal income created from proprietorships is growing at an annual rate of 10.5% so far this year, up from a 9.2% pace for all of last year and twice the pace of income from wages and salaries. (BusinessWeek.com/magazine, 06/20/05.)