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Skills and regional entrepreneurship capital formation: a comparison between Germany and Portugal

Author

Listed:
  • Joana Mendonça

    (University of Lisbon)

  • Christoph Grimpe

    (Copenhagen Business School
    Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW))

Abstract

Entrepreneurship capital has frequently been characterized as an important determinant of regional economic growth. Yet, we have limited knowledge about what explains why certain regions are more successful in creating entrepreneurship capital in general and in particular in technology- and knowledge-intensive sectors. In this paper, we shed light on the skill base of a region in terms of its endowment with human capital and the composition, i.e. specialization or diversity, of skills. Moreover, we look at the context in which entrepreneurship capital formation takes place by focusing on differences in the institutional infrastructures for entrepreneurship in two European countries: Germany and Portugal. Based on harmonized datasets, our results indicate important differences between the countries. Specifically, our results suggest that both specialization and diversity theories hold, and that the effects are thus contingent on regional factors.

Suggested Citation

  • Joana Mendonça & Christoph Grimpe, 2016. "Skills and regional entrepreneurship capital formation: a comparison between Germany and Portugal," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 41(6), pages 1440-1456, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jtecht:v:41:y:2016:i:6:d:10.1007_s10961-015-9444-5
    DOI: 10.1007/s10961-015-9444-5
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    2. Maha Aly & Galal Galal-Edeen, 2021. "Why is Germany less entrepreneurial? A behavioral reasoning perspective," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 46(5), pages 1376-1416, October.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Regional entrepreneurship capital; Skills; Cross-country comparison;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • L26 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Entrepreneurship
    • O57 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economywide Country Studies - - - Comparative Studies of Countries
    • R11 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Regional Economic Activity: Growth, Development, Environmental Issues, and Changes

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