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Does Trust Matter for Entrepreneurship: Evidence from a Cross-Section of Countries

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  • Oasis Kodila-Tedika

    (Department of Economics, University of Kinshasa, Kinshasa, Congo)

  • Julius Agbor

    (Department of Economics, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town 7602, South Africa)

Abstract

Differences in trust levels between countries explain the observed discrepancies in entrepreneurial spirit amongst them. We test this hypothesis with a cross-section of 60 countries in 2010. Our findings suggest that about half of the variation in entrepreneurial spirit across countries in the world is driven by trust considerations. This result is robust to regional clustering, outliers and alternative conditioning variables. The findings of the study indicate that while formal incentives to nurture entrepreneurship must be maintained, policy makers should also seek to pay attention to the role of trust cultivated through informal networks.

Suggested Citation

  • Oasis Kodila-Tedika & Julius Agbor, 2016. "Does Trust Matter for Entrepreneurship: Evidence from a Cross-Section of Countries," Economies, MDPI, vol. 4(1), pages 1-17, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jecomi:v:4:y:2016:i:1:p:4-:d:65052
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    Cited by:

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    2. David Cuberes & Sadia Priyanka & Marc Teignier, 2019. "The determinants of entrepreneurship gender gaps: A cross‐country analysis," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 23(1), pages 72-101, February.
    3. Kodila-Tedika, Oasis & Asongu, Simplice & Azia-Dimbu, Florentin, 2016. "The Sensitive Nature of Social Trust to Intelligence," MPRA Paper 70523, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    4. Elert, Niklas & Stam, Erik & Stenkula, Mikael, 2019. "Intrapreneurship and Trust," Working Paper Series 1280, Research Institute of Industrial Economics.
    5. Asongu, Simplice A. & Kodila-Tedika, Oasis, 2013. "Trust and Prosperity: A Conditional Relationship," MPRA Paper 46865, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 15 Jun 2013.
    6. Urszula Markowska-Przybyła & David M. Ramsey, 2018. "Social Capital and Long-Term Regional Development within Poland in the Light of Experimental Economics and Data from a Questionnaire," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(9), pages 1-26, August.
    7. Simplice Asongu & Oasis Kodila-tedika, 2017. "Trust and Growth Revisited," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 37(4), pages 2951-2961.
    8. Esa Mangeloja & Tomi Ovaska & Ryo Takashima, 2022. "Entrepreneurial choices depend on trust: Some global evidence," Journal of International Entrepreneurship, Springer, vol. 20(4), pages 564-590, December.
    9. Kodila-Tedika, Oasis, 2012. "Entrepreneurship and property right: de Soto'r right [Entrepreneuriat et droit de propriété : de Soto a raison]," MPRA Paper 43464, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    10. Ana Fernández-Laviada & Carlos López-Gutiérrez & Andrea Pérez, 2020. "How Does the Development of the Social Enterprise Sector Affect Entrepreneurial Behavior? An Empirical Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-15, January.
    11. Ljunge, Martin & Stenkula, Mikael, 2021. "Fertile soil for intrapreneurship: impartial institutions and human capital," Journal of Institutional Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 17(3), pages 489-508, June.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    trust; institution; entrepreneurship;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D2 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations
    • P48 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Other Economic Systems - - - Legal Institutions; Property Rights; Natural Resources; Energy; Environment; Regional Studies
    • L26 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Entrepreneurship
    • Z13 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - Economic Sociology; Economic Anthropology; Language; Social and Economic Stratification

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