Title: Entrepreneurial success revisited: what Hofstede's dimensions and GEDI missed in evaluating the entrepreneurial potential in three pilot countries

Authors: Dalia M. Sherif; Brenda Rios Brombacher

Addresses: Graduate Studies and Adjunct Faculty, University of Houston – Downtown, Marilyn Davies College of Business, USA ' Entrepreneurial Initiatives and Community Relations, Office of Entrepreneurial Initiatives, Houston Community College, USA

Abstract: This concept paper examines entrepreneurial culture and its national cultural fit according to Hofstede's dimensions and the Global Entrepreneurship and Development Index (GEDI). The authors compared expectations with the actual entrepreneurial outcomes in Pakistan, Egypt, and Zambia; three Global Entrepreneurship Program (or in-country partners) pilot beneficiaries. Although the three countries have lower GEDI rankings, they have shown considerable entrepreneurial potential based on their pertinent milestone reports. Using two of Hofstede's cultural dimensions to assess their openness for entrepreneurial initiatives, the three countries did not offer a cultural ecosystem conducive to entrepreneurship, yet the social, economic, and political contexts seemed to neutralise the cultural discord. Start-ups are seen as a counter-cyclical cushion in low-income countries to survive periods of economic downturn even when the culture does not support new ventures and risk-taking. The paper calls for an entrepreneurial construct that incorporates socio-cultural perspectives, and politico-economic factors into the innovation-led definition.

Keywords: Big Five; culture; Egypt; entrepreneurship; entrepreneurship initiatives; Global Entrepreneurship and Development Index; GEDI; Hofstede's cultural dimensions; masculinity; Maslow's hierarchy of needs; Pakistan; uncertainty avoidance; Zambia.

DOI: 10.1504/IJESB.2021.112263

International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business, 2021 Vol.42 No.1/2, pp.130 - 155

Accepted: 13 Jun 2019
Published online: 06 Jan 2021 *

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