Proximité spatiale, mimétisme et développement entrepreneurial endogène en Afrique : un modèle théorique

KOUAKOU, Thiédjé Gaudens-Omer (2025): Proximité spatiale, mimétisme et développement entrepreneurial endogène en Afrique : un modèle théorique.

Abstract

This article analyzes the conditions for endogenous entrepreneurial development, understood as the transition from entrepreneurship by necessity to local entrepreneurship by opportunity. The theoretical model that we develop shows that the presence of foreign-owned companies does not hinder local entrepreneurship by opportunity, but rather stimulates it through mimicry, thus triggering a cumulative dynamic of endogenous entrepreneurial development. The spatial proximity linking potential local entrepreneurs and foreign companies produces a cognitive proximity that allows the former to switch to entrepreneurship by opportunity by imitating the latter. The State can support this dynamic through better coordination of reforms: macroeconomic measures (improvement of the business climate, promotion of foreign direct investment, minimum infrastructure) must precede microeconomic measures (strengthening entrepreneurial capacities, financial support).

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• English Title: Spatial proximity, mimicry and endogenous entrepreneurial development in Africa: a theoretical model
• Language: French
• Keywords: entrepreneuriat, externalités de savoir, mimétisme, politiques publiques
• Subjects: D - Microeconomics > D6 - Welfare Economics > D62 - Externalities; L - Industrial Organization > L2 - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior > L26 - Entrepreneurship; L - Industrial Organization > L3 - Nonprofit Organizations and Public Enterprise > L38 - Public Policy; L - Industrial Organization > L5 - Regulation and Industrial Policy > L53 - Enterprise Policy

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