Title: Nascent entrepreneurs and the regional context

Authors: Christine Tamasy

Addresses: School of Geography, Geology & Environmental Science (SGGES), The University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland, New Zealand

Abstract: What regional factors influence the decision to start (or not to start) a new business? The analysis is based on a representative sample of 10,000 individuals and surveys of 471 experts on entrepreneurship in ten German planning regions. Nascent entrepreneurs are defined as those individuals, between the age of 18 and 64 years, who are actively engaged in creating a new business. The entrepreneurial context is analysed in detail, based on experts| assessments of the regional framework conditions for entrepreneurship. The results indicate that the entrepreneurial context strongly influences individuals| perceptions of start-up opportunities, which in turn have significant effects on the decision to set up a new venture. In particular, a high-quality entrepreneurship policy and a well-developed culture of entrepreneurship play important roles. The implications of these findings are discussed.

Keywords: nascent entrepreneurship; nascent entrepreneurs; regional context; entrepreneurial context; entrepreneurial culture; entrepreneurship policy; Germany.

DOI: 10.1504/IJESB.2010.033109

International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business, 2010 Vol.10 No.2, pp.205 - 223

Published online: 08 May 2010 *

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