Institutions and entrepreneurial activity: a quantitative analysis
- Autores: Claudia Álvarez Barrera
- Directores de la Tesis: David Urbano Pulido (dir. tes.)
- Lectura: En la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona ( España ) en 2011
- Idioma: inglés
- Tribunal Calificador de la Tesis: Iñaki Peña Legazkue (presid.), Stefan Van Hemmen (secret.), Marcel Planellas Aran (voc.)
- Materias:
- Enlaces
- Tesis en acceso abierto en: TESEO
- Resumen
It is increasingly recognised that entrepreneurship plays an essential role in economic and social development. Consequently, both governmental organisations and academia have shown particular interest in understanding the phenomenon of entrepreneurship.
The main objective of this investigation is to analyse the influence of institutions on entrepreneurial activity using the institutional approach as the theoretical framework. Thus, specifically, this study 1) explores the content and evolution of research based on the GEM project in the context of institutional economics; 2) analyses the influence of institutions (formal and informal) on entrepreneurship; and 3) examines the relationship between institutional dimensions (regulative, normative and cultural-cognitive) and entrepreneurial activity.
The methodology used is quantitative and fundamentally based on data from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM). This investigation provides a method to analyse the environmental factors that influence entrepreneurial activity, at an individual, regional and macro level, combining data from GEM (both the Adult Population Survey and the National Experts Survey) and World Values Survey.
The main findings of the research reveal that the informal institutions are more important than the formal ones. The results support that the socio-cultural context, such as the beliefs, values and attitudes of a society, determine the behaviour of its members, thereby affecting the decision to become an entrepreneur. Also, an interaction between normative and cultural-cognitive dimension is found; while the normative environment encourages people to become entrepreneurs, a strong cultural-cognitive environment is needed to create a new firm.
This research advances the literature by providing institutional economics as an appropiate conceptual framework for the analysis of the environmental conditions that foster or inhibit the entrepreneurial activity. From the practical perspective, the research could be useful for the design of policies to support entrepreneurship in different environments, considering the influence of institutions on the creation of new ventures.
