Journal of Developmental Entrepreneurship

This study examines what institutional conditions, entrepreneurial abilities and industry-specific factors contributed to the survival of online crowdfunding projects after the Covid pandemic. Based on the dynamic capability theory, we argue that government financial support alone cannot close the gap between market supply and demand after an exogenous shock. An institutional environment that promotes a transparent and efficient information sharing and resources allocation system is equally important for the survival of startups. Using a sample of 924 Kickstarter projects between 2017 and 2018, we found that startups in countries with high market dynamics and low entry barriers had a higher probability to survive the exogenous shock after controlling for entrepreneurial experience, social capital, and industry-specific factors. The findings support a free market approach to promote early-stage entrepreneurship.

The potential for information and communication technologies (ICT) and inclusive finance to drive entrepreneurial activity in an African context remain unclear. We specifically consider effects on male versus female entrepreneurs. This study unveils new insights based on an annual panel series for 52 African countries from 2005–2019. The system-generalized method-of-moments (sysGMM) and the novel method-of-moments quantile regression (MM-QR) aided the analysis. The estimates of both procedures demonstrate that entrepreneurship in Africa is self-promoting. The sysGMM estimator demonstrates that financial inclusion produced unsubstantial effects on entrepreneurial activity. However, the estimates of the MM-QR produced varying significant positive relationships mostly at the upper quantiles for all entrepreneurs. The sysGMM reveals that ICT produced marginal positive effects for entrepreneurs in general but not for female entrepreneurs. Additionally, the MM-QR unveiled a significant positive influence of ICT at the lower and middle quantiles for aggregate levels of entrepreneurship. ICT produced significant positive effects at the lower quantiles for men, and at the upper quantiles for women. Policy options to promote entrepreneurship in the continent are highlighted.

This study investigates the influence of human resource management (HRM) practices and digital technology use (DTU) on women’s perceived venture growth. Further, it explores the mediating role of perceived venture growth and whether this factor contributes to the improvement of female entrepreneurs’ economic conditions. The analysis also assesses differences between urban and rural areas. Using a sample of 100 female entrepreneurs in Lebanon, the results indicate that HRM practices and DTU exert a positive, significant effect on female entrepreneurs’ perceived venture growth. The latter also has a positive influence on the economic conditions of these women and acts as a mediator in these relationships. The findings differ between urban and rural areas. For female entrepreneurs in urban areas, perceived venture growth is shown to mediate the relationship between DTU and women’s economic conditions while it mediates the relationship between HRM practices and women’s economic conditions for female entrepreneurs in rural areas. The findings emphasize the collectivistic nature of rural female entrepreneurs, underscoring their reliance on strategic people management for business growth. It also advocates for promoting digital literacy among rural female entrepreneurs to help them grow and expand their businesses.

This article examines the effects of the Broad-based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) policy on black entrepreneurship in South Africa. The BBBEE policy is a legal framework aimed at addressing historical inequalities by promoting equal opportunities and encouraging the participation of black individuals in the economy. The policy highlights include increased access to funding for previously marginalized groups to start and grow their businesses, improved market access to encourage large businesses to partner with small businesses owned by previously marginalized groups, and increased skills and development. Using the policy as a quasi-natural experiment, the study adopts a difference-in-difference estimation technique contrasting periods before and after implementation and measuring its effectiveness on black entrepreneurial entry. Results from the analysis indicate that the policy was ineffective in improving black entrepreneurship in South Africa.

The sanitary measures implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic had a significant effect on the labor market, particularly in terms of entrepreneurship. To analyze this effect, a random-effects data panel was used, including observations for the 32 states of the Mexican Republic, covering the period from the second quarter of 2016 to the third quarter of 2021. As the effect is necessarily differentiated, the variable to be explained is the change in the number of employers and self-employed because the first group could be argued to approximate entrepreneurship by opportunity, and the second, entrepreneurship by necessity. Both groups are explained by variables of the state such as economic activity, access to financial products and whether COVID had any effect on the change in the types of entrepreneurship. The main conclusion is that the crisis generated by the pandemic had a positive effect on entrepreneurship out of necessity (NEC) but was not significant when it came to those called by opportunity (OPP). Public and private interventions are proposed to take advantage of and strengthen this new wave of entrepreneurship.

With the increasing number of social problems for which governments do not have solutions, especially in emerging economies, there have been ever louder calls for establishing social enterprises that will help address these problems. Social entrepreneurial intention increases when individuals have a high level of social entrepreneurial self-efficacy (SESE). The literature suggests that SESE is domain-specific and can be enhanced only through education and experience related to social entrepreneurship. Building upon the social cognitive theory, this study argues that SESE can be improved through general factors such as education level and entrepreneurial experience. Through an online survey involving 241 general individuals, this study finds support for the social cognitive theory, which states that educational level increases SESE and subsequently increases social entrepreneurial intention. This relationship is substantiated for individuals who have prior entrepreneurial experience but not for individuals with no entrepreneurial experience. The results of this study highlight the importance of education in promoting social entrepreneurial intention. In addition, the curricula at all educational levels should encourage students to gain entrepreneurial experience such as by developing business projects or initiating a business.

This study explores entrepreneurial success among female entrepreneurs, a topic that is poorly investigated in the global South. After a literature review on the concept of women’s entrepreneurial success and on the institutional, economic socio-cultural and familial context of Moroccan female entrepreneurs, results of a qualitative study involving female entrepreneurs based in urban areas, working across diverse industries, are described. Findings indicate that entrepreneurial success is defined by Moroccan female entrepreneurs through four different viewpoints: (1) entrepreneurial success through a company’s financial standing, (2) self-assessed entrepreneurial achievements, (3) societal recognition of entrepreneurial success and (4) the evaluation of entrepreneurial success based on the benefits provided to others. The definition of entrepreneurial success is explored in line with the evolution of women’s priorities and the evolution of Moroccan society. The findings and implications provide policy makers, practitioners and academics with a better understanding of female entrepreneurship and on how to enhance and support these entrepreneurs to increase economic growth.