Regional characteristics, opportunity perception and entrepreneurial activities

Stuetzer, Michael and Obschonka, Martin and Brixy, Udo and Sternberg, Rolf and Cantner, Uwe (2013): Regional characteristics, opportunity perception and entrepreneurial activities. Forthcoming in: Small Business Economics

Abstract

This paper seeks to better understand the link between regional characteristics and individual entrepreneurship. We combine individual-level GEM data for Western Germany with regional-level data, using multi-level analysis to test our hypotheses. We find no direct link between regional knowledge creation, the economic context and an entrepreneurial culture on the one side and individual business start-up intentions and start-up activity on the other side. However our findings point to the importance of an indirect effect of regional characteristics as knowledge creation, the economic context and an entrepreneurial culture have an effect on the individual perception of founding opportunities which in turn predicted start-up intentions and activity.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• Language: English
• Keywords: Regional entrepreneurship; nascent entrepreneurship; opportunity perception; creative class; Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM)
• Subjects: J - Labor and Demographic Economics > J2 - Demand and Supply of Labor > J24 - Human Capital ; Skills ; Occupational Choice ; Labor Productivity; L - Industrial Organization > L2 - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior > L26 - Entrepreneurship; M - Business Administration and Business Economics ; Marketing ; Accounting ; Personnel Economics > M1 - Business Administration > M13 - New Firms ; Startups

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