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Growth is a key dimension of organisational performance, and innovativeness has been identified as one of its most important predictors in commercial enterprises. But does this also hold for the growing number of social enterprises and so-called "hybrid" organisations? Whereas neo-institutional accounts emphasise the legitimacy premium and performance benefits that come with hybridity, category signaling approaches stress the downsides and negative performance effects of blurred categories. Introducing the neglected distinction between category hybridity and goal hybridity and adopting a multilevel perspective on hybrid organisations, the present study develops and empirically tests competing hypotheses with data from the 2009 Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM). Multilevel analysis of 2,606 social and 10,133 commercial enterprises, obtained from 150,721 respondents in 42 countries reveals a significant and positive association between organisation-level innovativeness and growth expectations for both commercial and social enterprises. The effect of organisational innovativeness on growth expectations is stronger positive for social compared to commercial enterprises, and higher levels of goal hybridity increase growth expectations for commercial, but not for social enterprises. No moderating effects of country-level differences were found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Small Business & Entrepreneurship is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In pursuing entrepreneurial venture growth, domestic market expansion strategies such as product development, innovation, and diversification need to be reinforced by looking at international opportunities. We establish the power of external participation, composed of the foreign customer and export orientations, in driving entrepreneurial venture growth. By subjecting the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor data for the Philippines, for the years 2013, 2014, and 2015, to a linear generalised method of moments regression analysis, we found evidence that external participation is a significant in ensuing entrepreneurial venture growth. Our emergent empirical findings are as follows: entrepreneurial strategies on external participation are positively and highly statistically significant in positively making a difference on entrepreneurial venture growth; and export orientation can significantly drive entrepreneurial venture growth. Hence, we recommended policies and strategies that will capacitate Philippine enterprises to produce internationally oriented products and allow them to increase their external participation through enhanced access to global markets and value chains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to contribute to advancing the understanding of entrepreneurial ecosystems, Latin American development, and the evolution and future perspectives of the Middle East. It used a cross-sectional research design and quantitative data with 750 observations from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, specifically the National Experts Survey and the Adult Population Survey. The results were analyzed by the Partial Least Squares Technique (PLS-SEM) by grouping countries into two balanced samples of underexplored regions: the Middle East and Latin America. The two regions, Latin America and the Middle East, have diverse entrepreneurial ecosystems; each condition impacts entrepreneurial activities in different ways. In Latin America, the most significant variable is "Physical Infrastructure", while in the Middle East, the most significant determinants are "Commercial and Professional Infrastructure" and "Entrepreneurship Culture". This study shows that to support entrepreneurial activities, each region requires different settings for their entrepreneurial ecosystems. It contributes to the literature on regional entrepreneurial ecosystems and to less explored regions to advance our understanding, which will drive better policies and actions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This research aims at the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and the global entrepreneurship monitor (GEM) framework – How can cognitive traits for entrepreneurship be used by incubators and accelerators? Design/methodology/approach: In this research the authors analyze the factors that catalyze the founding of new technology-based firms. From a practitioner stand-point, the GEM posits that these factors can be classified as contextual, social and individual factors. The present study focuses on the latter, looking into how demographic characteristics, possession of human capital and cognitive traits interrelate. The authors rely on a sample of 141 technological new ventures being incubated in Madrid, Spain, which is analyzed with the multilayer perceptron technique. Findings: The results show that cognitive traits, as defined in the TPB, act as the "last mile" in the entrepreneurial decision process, while demographic and human capital factors appear to antecede them. These results are relevant for incubators and accelerators, which now gain a better, more complete understanding of success factors of their incubatees. Originality/value: This research deals both with practitioners' view of entrepreneurship and with scientific literature, intertwining both with the purpose of providing valuable information for incubators and accelerators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to contribute to advancing the understanding of entrepreneurial ecosystems, Latin American development, and the evolution and future perspectives of the Middle East. It used a cross-sectional research design and quantitative data with 750 observations from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, specifically the National Experts Survey and the Adult Population Survey. The results were analyzed by the Partial Least Squares Technique (PLS-SEM) by grouping countries into two balanced samples of underexplored regions: the Middle East and Latin America. The two regions, Latin America and the Middle East, have diverse entrepreneurial ecosystems; each condition impacts entrepreneurial activities in different ways. In Latin America, the most significant variable is “Physical Infrastructure”, while in the Middle East, the most significant determinants are “Commercial and Professional Infrastructure” and “Entrepreneurship Culture”. This study shows that to support entrepreneurial activities, each region requires different settings for their entrepreneurial ecosystems. It contributes to the literature on regional entrepreneurial ecosystems and to less explored regions to advance our understanding, which will drive better policies and actions.

Copyright of Estudios Gerenciales is the property of Universidad ICESI and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The study's objective is to analyze the entrepreneurial intentions of social workers and their impact on the SDGs. Furthermore, it seeks to explore social workers' perceptions and attitudes towards entrepreneurship. Thus, this research aims to answer the following research questions: How do entrepreneurial intentions among social workers influence their contribution to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and what are the implications of these intentions for social work practices and policies within the framework of sustainable development? Based on a quantitative approach, this study leverages microdata from the 2018 Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) survey. The dataset includes responses from 4545 social workers across 30 high-income countries. The study employs logistic regression analysis as the primary statistical method to delve into the determinants of entrepreneurial intentions among social workers within this diverse international sample. Key findings indicate that the aspiration to establish a future business is a significant factor, underscoring the importance of entrepreneurial intention in this context. Additionally, social workers in the private sector exhibit a greater predisposition to entrepreneurship compared to their public sector counterparts. The study's implications for the SDGs are substantial, as promoting entrepreneurship among social workers can contribute to economic growth, poverty reduction, and reduced inequalities (SDGs 1, 8, and 10). It also emphasizes the importance of access to entrepreneurial education, sustainable job creation (SDG 4 and 8), and the development of partnerships among academic institutions, social assistance organizations, and entrepreneurial entities (SDG 17). Furthermore, the research highlights the significance of gender equality and access to entrepreneurial resources (SDGs 5 and 9) in fostering entrepreneurship among social workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to explore how a region's degree of vulnerability influences the perceived level of support toward social entrepreneurship from a social entrepreneurial ecosystem perspective. The study of social entrepreneurial ecosystems (SEEs) constitutes a promising area for its potential to support high-impact entrepreneurs, but they are currently underexplored in upper-middle-income countries. This study also combines a macro-level (countries) and a meso-level (vulnerability regions) analysis to better understand how national policies may affect the perceptions of different 'regions' and, consequently, sustainable economic development. This study follows principal component analysis and non-parametric statistics to compare the means of the countries and the levels of regions' vulnerabilities based on the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor's regional data from Chilean (n = 276) and Mexican (n = 188) experts. At the macro level, the results show that experts in Chile have a better perception of social policies for social entrepreneurship than their counterparts in Mexico. At the meso-level, experts in high-vulnerability regions have a better perception of the social ecosystem dynamism than those in the low-vulnerability regions. The results contribute to the urgent dialogue to set up strategies that allow upper-middle-income countries and their regions to achieve greater impact and sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Contaduría y Administración is the property of Facultad de Contaduria y Administracion-Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

We posit that the quality of information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure and the effectiveness of crisis-specific policy response are essential for entrepreneurial growth aspirations during major external shocks. Enhancing the quality of ICT infrastructure is a relevant strategy for building ecosystems that are resilient to multiple types of crises. It enhances entrepreneurs' growth ambitions during the crisis, and makes them less reliant on crisis-specific response policies adopted by governments. We provide empirical support for this, utilizing Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) data from the pandemic period in Chile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on the literature on entrepreneurship and happiness, we examine the effects of individuals’ possession of and exposure to knowledge on the likelihood of engaging in different entrepreneurial stages, representing one’s lasting fulfillment and continuous engagement that drive one’s happiness. Our analyses are based on data collected for the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) from individuals located in Taiwan. Results reveal that entrepreneurial knowledge-based factors, including personal education and external networking, positively affect moving through start-up processes. Furthermore, passing different entrepreneurial stages acquires a feeling of self-fulfillment and is significantly associated with entrepreneurs’ happiness, meaning happiness belongs to perseverance. These findings offer important theoretical and practical implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data collected through the National Expert Survey (NES) of the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) are widely used to benchmark and assess the quality and impact of national entrepreneurial ecosystems. Based on a comprehensive analysis of the publicly available NES data, we show that the construct validity of the survey is not sufficient and that the experts differ so greatly in their evaluations of the entrepreneurial framework conditions (EFCs) in a country that meaningful cross-country and within-country (longitudinal) analyses are precluded. We conclude that the currently available NES data are not suited for motivating policy decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the factors influencing entrepreneurial activity at the early stages and the contribution of these factors to the gender gap in entrepreneurship in the seven Central and Eastern European countries. Using Global Entrepreneurship Monitor 2017 data, the author estimate logit models for three stages of the entrepreneurial process (potential entrepreneur, nascent entrepreneur, and early-stage entrepreneur) and apply Fairlie's decomposition method for calculating the contributions of variables in the gender gap. The study finds that individual demographic and entrepreneur-ship-related traits are influential determinants of the likelihood of being an entrepreneur at the early stages of business. Additionally, women are less likely to engage in all three stages of entrepreneurial activity in all countries. The decomposition analysis shows that the overall gender gaps range from 2.6 to 6.1 percentage points across the three stages of entrepreneurship. Gender disparities in explanatory variables explain 26.2 percent to 43.4 percent of these gaps. Factors such as startup skills, higher household income, knowing other entrepreneurs, and employment significantly explain both entrepreneurial activity and the gender gap. Nevertheless, the extent of their effect is slightly different in the entrepreneurial phases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Entrepreneurship plays a vital role in the process of wealth creation and improving the standard of living of the people through large-scale employment generation. So this study aims to identify the critical factors among the entrepreneurial framework conditions (EFC) and entrepreneurial behaviour and attitudes (EBAA) in enhancing the entrepreneurship climate in the United States of America (USA), China and India. The data for the study is collected from GEM (Global Entrepreneurship Monitor) on EBAA and EFC. Exploratory factor analysis was attempted initially to reduce the EBAA and EFC data into manageable factors. Further, confirmatory factor analysis was attempted to cross-validate the results. Key Points: • The results unveil that the Public conditions and Business Promotions (EFC) in the USA are superior to India and China. At the same time, India lags behind both the USA and China. • Indian entrepreneurs are more optimistic and audacious than their Chinese counterparts. • The future of entrepreneurship in India depends on what measures the Government adopts today to strengthen the entrepreneurship framework conditions.

Objectives: (1) to describe the research conducted by the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM), (2) to map its use in Brazilian publications, and (3) to exemplify its application in public policies and other forms of support for entrepreneurship in different countries. Methodology: It is a bibliographic survey of Brazilian studies supplemented by examples of GEM use in other countries. Main findings: Some types of data and results usage from GEM prevail: citations in the theoretical framework or in the introduction/contextualization of published studies; inclusion in the final list of references, but not in the main text; and indirect reference through the citation of previous studies that used GEM. The finding of Gimenez and Inácio Júnior (2017) of a lower presence of GEM data usage for specific studies in the surveyed articles was replicated. Relevance/originality: The historical background of GEM implementation in Brazil is presented, along with the update of results in Brazilian entrepreneurship studies and examples of GEM's impact on the formulation of actions and public policies in various countries. Theoretical-methodological contributions: The scarcity of more sophisticated uses of GEM's database in Brazilian studies is indicated. Therefore, it is recommended to explore its longitudinal data and to increase the number of studies exploring GEM in addressing specific entrepreneurship topics, as well as to expand the use of GEM data to guide the formulation and monitoring of public policies.

Objetivos: (1) descrever a pesquisa GEM (Global Entrepreneurship Monitor), (2) mapear seus usos em publicações brasileiras e (3) exemplificar seu uso em políticas públicas e outras formas de favorecimento do empreendedorismo em diferentes países. Metodologia: levantamento bibliográfico de estudos brasileiros complementado por exemplos do uso do GEM em outros países. Principais resultados: Alguns tipos de uso de dados e resultados do GEM predominam: suas citações no referencial teórico ou na introdução/contextualização dos estudos publicados; sua inclusão na lista final de referências, mas não no texto principal; e como referência indireta pela citação de estudos anteriores que utilizaram o GEM. Repetiu-se o achado de Gimenez e Inácio Júnior (2017) de menor presença de uso dos dados do GEM para estudos específicos nos artigos levantados. Relevância/originalidade: Apresenta-se o histórico da realização do GEM no Brasil, a atualização dos resultados nos estudos brasileiros de empreendedorismo e exemplos de impactos do GEM na formulação de ações e políticas públicas em diversos países. Contribuições teórico-metodológicas: Indica-se a escassez nos estudos brasileiros dos usos mais sofisticados da base de dados do GEM. Recomenda-se, então, a exploração de seus dados longitudinais e a multiplicação dos estudos explorando o GEM na abordagem de temas específicos de empreendedorismo, além de mais usos dos dados do GEM para nortear a formulação e o acompanhamento de políticas públicas.

Entrepreneurship plays a vital role in the process of wealth creation and improving the standard of living of the people through large-scale employment generation. So this study aims to identify the critical factors among the entrepreneurial framework conditions (EFC) and entrepreneurial behaviour and attitudes (EBAA) in enhancing the entrepreneurship climate in the United States of America (USA), China and India. The data for the study is collected from GEM (Global Entrepreneurship Monitor) on EBAA and EFC. Exploratory factor analysis was attempted initially to reduce the EBAA and EFC data into manageable factors. Further, confirmatory factor analysis was attempted to cross-validate the results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the extensive literature on the relationship between entrepreneurship and institutions, there is limited knowledge of the relationship between institutions and engagement after failure. This study compares the entrepreneurial engagement of entrepreneurs who have recently experienced failure and individuals without entrepreneurial experience, emphasizing the interaction of government policies and programmes (formal institutions) and individualistic/collectivist cultures (informal institutions) with business failure and its impact on entrepreneurial engagement. We test our hypotheses using multilevel analysis on a large cross-sectional sample that combines individual-level data from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) database with country-level data from 49 economies. We provide evidence of selection bias for the entrepreneurial engagement of entrepreneurs after failures and of the role of culture as a significant aspect of re-entry into entrepreneurship. Therefore, our evidence helps reinforce the view that postfailure entrepreneurs are a special group of entrepreneurs and validates the contribution of institutional economic theory in explaining this phenomenon, especially the key role of informal institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Past and recent immigration flows have made societies increasingly more diverse, with important implications for the economy. This article investigates the empirical relationship between ethnic, and birthplace immigration diversity on job creation and entrepreneurship. Design/methodology/approach: We use multilevel modelling and the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor adult population survey across 60 countries from 2001 to 2018. Findings: As earlier literature, we find that people have a higher probability of becoming entrepreneurs in more ethnically diverse countries. Nonetheless, businesses located in more ethnically diverse countries hire fewer employees. Businesses, on the other hand, create more jobs in countries with a higher proportion of skilled and unskilled immigrants due to skill complementarity. Research originality: Contrary to commonly held views, our findings suggest that ethnic and immigration diversity have opposing effects on entrepreneurship and provide important insights into the debate over the economic impact of immigration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

La crisis del covid-19 ha tenido un fuerte impacto sobre los emprendimientos a nivel mundial. Este estudio exploratorio analiza los efectos en una economía con una tasa de actividad empresarial especialmente reducida, Puerto Rico, a partir de los datos del Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM). El impacto aquí ha sido muy pronunciado, tanto en los indicadores de nueva actividad empresarial, como en los de cierre de negocios. De igual forma, las nuevas iniciativas responden a un crecimiento en la identificación de oportunidades, pero también a la caída en los ingresos de los hogares. Las conclusiones apuntan hacia temas que son necesarios abordar en futuras investigaciones, para entender si estos cambios son solo coyunturales y el efecto de medidas de política pública específicas.

This study aimed to investigate the binding constraints on building a knowledge-based economy (KBE) in Qatar. The research used descriptive and qualitative approaches within the new institutional economics paradigm using data from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor. Taking cognizance that natural-resource-driven economic development may not be sustainable, the Qatar National Vision 2030 was launched with the expectation that educational expansion and reform would turn Qatar's carbon economy into a "knowledge economy". The Qatari government's National Development Strategy 2018–2022 has anchored the economic diversification agenda on building a knowledge-based economy. The findings demonstrated that per the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor analysis, compared with selected countries, Qatar scored relatively high across various dimensions of new institutional economics, including institution, governance, market, and culture. This shows that the knowledge-based economy in Qatar is developing. Several studies examined a variety of issues in building a knowledge-based economy in Qatar, but this is the first study to explore the binding constraints of building a knowledge-based economy in Qatar using the new institutional economics theory as a tool of analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing upon the social-cognitive view and the intentionality-based entrepreneurial behavior model, this study investigates how individuals' demographics and perceptions affect entrepreneurial intentions and how the effects vary along with age. The data were collected from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor 2015, which includes 35,141 respondents from 60 countries. Our finding suggests an inverted U-shaped relationship between age and both types of entrepreneurship. We also found a gender gap indicating that women and men are more likely to engage in necessity and opportunity entrepreneurship, respectively. Moreover, higher income and education lower the probability of necessity entrepreneurship, whereas higher income motivates opportunity entrepreneurship. JEL Classification: L26, M13 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Entrepreneurial activity is considered an important aspect of the organization of industries most conducive to innovation and unrestricted competition and, at the same time, it is viewed as one of the most important factors in the economic progress of a country. Entrepreneurial activity depends, among other, on several individual factors. This paper investigates the correlation between entrepreneurial activity and individual predictors such as gender and household income based on the data from Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM). The paper aims to help fill the gap in the literature by providing a quantitative analysis of the relationships and effects between entrepreneurial activity, gender, and household income in Slovenia. The empirical results show that the correlations between entrepreneurial activity and gender could not be confirmed, while the correlations between household income and entrepreneurial activity can be demonstrated for the bottom and the top third of the household income category. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Forum Empresarial is the property of University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Campus and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

How are exports shaped by digitalization? Scholars debate a global digital divide that impacts internationalization. The pandemic disrupted exports, so the pandemic provides opportunity to examine digitalization as a tool for recovery of exports. Analysis of 47 sampled countries shows that wealth, especially in the West, facilitated early digitalization, but that other regions are catching up, externally enabled by resilience in the pandemic. Analysis of 7073 businesses sampled representatively in several countries shows that early digitalization and especially recent digitalization in businesses form capabilities promoting their exports. Findings contribute to accounting for eco-systemic embeddedness of digitalization shaping exporting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the drivers of female necessity entrepreneurship using a sample of 59 countries, with data sourced from the 2018–2019 global entrepreneurship monitor (GEM). It develops a theoretical framework describing how post-secondary education, startup skills, fear of failure, knowing another entrepreneur, entrepreneurial intentions, and hiring expectations act as drivers of female necessity entrepreneurship. Using qualitative comparative analysis, two models are tested to explain the presence and absence of female necessity entrepreneurship. This outcome is measured using the GEM indicator of total early-stage entrepreneurial activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Central and Eastern European countries, the generational gap between youth and seniors involved in entrepreneurship is a pending issue, yet the research covering the particularities of this problem is sparse. This article contributes to covering the gap in the literature by a/ studying key entrepreneurial factors that influence both the youth and seniors' early-stage entrepreneurial activity in the CEE region; b/ identifying the key differences and similarities of studied age cohorts as a basis for further research and formulation of entrepreneurial policies. In this research paper, we use the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) data. We employ multiple linear regression and ANOVA analysis. Our research suggests that well-designed government programmes in CEE countries are significant drivers for both age cohorts to improve their early-stage entrepreneurial activity. The historical background has a limited impact on youth in CEE countries while a weakening influence on seniors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, entrepreneurial knowledge is assessed as having a significant role in supporting and promoting entrepreneurs in the process of starting and running businesses. In addition, the issue of effective entrepreneurship orientation, promotion, and support has become one of the significant tasks of education systems in many countries over the years. Therefore, developing the characteristics, capabilities, and knowledge of entrepreneurs is an essential part of the development policy of each country. A country with good education and adequate entrepreneurial knowledge will contribute to improving the knowledge of entrepreneurs. Furthermore, it will help solve the difficulties and risks facing entrepreneurs. This paper will research and analyze the differences in the influence of entrepreneurship education on entrepreneurial knowledge of entrepreneurs. This entrepreneurial knowledge is necessary and significant for each entrepreneur. The countries considered for this study are Eastern European countries, including Poland, Bulgaria, Croatia, Latvia, and the Slovak Republic. The study was carried out based on data collected from the global survey provided by the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor ‒ National Expert Survey ‒ Individual-Level Data in 2017. The research results show that there is some difference in the influence of entrepreneurship education on the entrepreneurial knowledge of entrepreneurs. In the case of the five studied countries, the level of education, human development, and national development cannot adequately explain the influence of entrepreneurship education on the entrepreneurial knowledge of entrepreneurs. The reasons are the difference in awareness, operating environment, and the need for entrepreneurs to have entrepreneurial knowledge. The results obtained contribute to promoting research on the influence of entrepreneurship education on entrepreneurial knowledge of entrepreneurs.

This study aims to evaluate the impact and weight of several cognitive, demographic, social, and cultural factors on the prospect of emerging as an entrepreneur in the agricultural sector in countries widely becoming agrarian. This study uses a data set of 799 respondents from nine emerging agrarian countries provided by the largest entrepreneurship research project, GEM. The data was analyzed by employing logistic regression. The outcomes depict that the inclination and propensity to commencing a new agricultural business are guided by opportunity perception, self-efficacy, a business angel, income, education, and work status. The government should try to enhance and develop an agri-entrepreneurial ecosystem to facilitate collaboration, interaction, and mobilization of resources in these countries. For this purpose, incubation centers should be established to help farmers understand market-oriented agricultural businesses. Relevant insights are derived about whether and how the cognitive, cultural, social, and demographic influence the tendency to initiate a new business in the agricultural sector in emerging agrarian countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although it seems almost a stylized fact that females are less likely than males to start new ventures, closing this gender gap is essential to foster sustainable economic growth. In this study, we analyze whether gender inequality, as measured at the country level by the World Economic Forum since 2006, is associated with the gender gap in entrepreneurship. By analyzing country-level information about gender inequality (97 countries) in combination with individual-level data from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (1,905,665 individuals) from the years 2006 to 2017, we find that in more gender equal countries involvement in total early-stage entrepreneurial activity (TEA) is higher. Gender inequality moderates the effect of gender on TEA, by almost closing the gender gap in entrepreneurship in the most gender equal countries. We show that gender inequalities in economic participation and opportunity as well as in political empowerment are the main drivers of this interaction effect. We find similar patterns when distinguishing between opportunity-driven and necessity-driven TEA. With opportunity-driven entrepreneurship as a potential vehicle for the economic empowerment of females, our study highlights the role of policies stimulating gender equality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]