IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/pal/palcom/v11y2024i1d10.1057_s41599-024-04151-6.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The impact of human capital and social capital on entrepreneurship entry: the threshold of human capital-social capital coupling

Author

Listed:
  • Yanyan Sheng

    (Yangtze University)

  • Chenlu Ye

    (Yangtze University)

  • Yiping Sun

    (Hubei University of Economics)

  • Diederich Bakker

    (Hanze University of Applied Sciences)

Abstract

Human capital and social capital are crucial in shaping entrepreneurial decisions, yet their combined effects on entrepreneurship entry remain insufficiently explored. This study uses data from the China Household Tracking Survey (2010–2018) to examine how the coupling of human and social capital influences entrepreneurship entry. By defining human-social capital coupling as the interdependence between these two forms of capital, we estimated its nonlinear impact using generalized propensity score matching and analyzed variations across gender and region. The results revealed that human capital-social capital coupling mediated the relationship between these capitals and entrepreneurship entry, following a significant N-shaped trend with identified thresholds. The impact of this coupling was also influenced by gender and regional variations. The study contributes to the literature by introducing a novel perspective on capital coupling, assessing its threshold effects, and highlighting gender and regional disparities. Individuals should understand and use the human capital-social capital coupling to guide their actions; policymakers are encouraged to consider and enhance the coupling between human and social capital in their entrepreneurship support strategies.

Suggested Citation

  • Yanyan Sheng & Chenlu Ye & Yiping Sun & Diederich Bakker, 2024. "The impact of human capital and social capital on entrepreneurship entry: the threshold of human capital-social capital coupling," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-11, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:pal:palcom:v:11:y:2024:i:1:d:10.1057_s41599-024-04151-6
    DOI: 10.1057/s41599-024-04151-6
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1057/s41599-024-04151-6
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1057/s41599-024-04151-6?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Patrick J. Murphy & Jill Kickul & Saulo Dubard-Barbosa & Lindsay Titus, 2007. "Expert capital and perceived legitimacy: Female-run entrepreneurial venture signalling and performance," Post-Print halshs-00155792, HAL.
    2. Doaa Abdelnaeim & Hakeem Adeniyi Ajonbadi, 2024. "Social Capital and Women Entrepreneur Success in Egypt: Exploring Network, Trust, and Empowerment," Springer Books, in: Hakeem Adeniyi Ajonbadi & Susan Sisay & Seun Oladele (ed.), Exploring Entrepreneurship, chapter 0, pages 101-128, Springer.
    3. Poschke, Markus, 2013. "Who becomes an entrepreneur? Labor market prospects and occupational choice," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 37(3), pages 693-710.
    4. Tomasz Mickiewicz & Frederick Wedzerai Nyakudya & Nicholas Theodorakopoulos & Mark Hart, 2017. "Resource endowment and opportunity cost effects along the stages of entrepreneurship," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 48(4), pages 953-976, April.
    5. Mohammed Ali Al-Awlaqi & Ammar Mohamed Aamer & Maged Mohammed Barahmah & Ahmed Sameer Alsanabani, 2023. "Moderating effect of human capital factors on the relationship between entrepreneurship training and entrepreneurial orientation: an empirical study on micro-sized businesses," International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 48(4), pages 389-407.
    6. Shayegheh Ashourizadeh & Shahamak Rezaei & Thomas Schott & Jan Vang, 2014. "Entrepreneurs' human and social capital: direct and reinforcing benefits for export," International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 21(2), pages 246-267.
    7. Elvin Afandi & Majid Kermani & Fuad Mammadov, 2017. "Social capital and entrepreneurial process," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 13(3), pages 685-716, September.
    8. Enrico Santarelli & Hien Tran, 2013. "The interplay of human and social capital in shaping entrepreneurial performance: the case of Vietnam," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 40(2), pages 435-458, February.
    9. Boris Urban & Phumzile Moetse, 2024. "Social capital in a digital age: a focus on bridging and bonding social capital of women entrepreneurs in South Africa," International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 52(1), pages 67-85.
    10. Razmdoost, Kamran & Alinaghian, Leila & Linder, Christian, 2020. "New venture formation: A capability configurational approach," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 113(C), pages 290-302.
    11. Heiko Bergmann & Christian Hundt & Rolf Sternberg, 2016. "What makes student entrepreneurs? On the relevance (and irrelevance) of the university and the regional context for student start-ups," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 47(1), pages 53-76, June.
    12. Adnan Bashir & Zahid Siddique, 2023. "Appraising the lifetime private economic returns of postgraduate degrees: Evidence from Pakistan," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 10(1), pages 1-13, December.
    13. Chen, Wei & Song, Hongti, 2024. "National innovation system: Measurement of overall effectiveness and analysis of influencing factors," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).
    14. Dominic S.K. Lim & Eric A. Morse & Ronald K. Mitchell & Kristie K. Seawright, 2010. "Institutional Environment and Entrepreneurial Cognitions: A Comparative Business Systems Perspective," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 34(3), pages 491-516, May.
    15. Ciabuschi, Francesco & Perna, Andrea & Snehota, Ivan, 2012. "Assembling resources when forming a new business," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 65(2), pages 220-229.
    16. Geraldo Cerqueiro & María Fabiana Penas, 2017. "How Does Personal Bankruptcy Law Affect Startups?," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 30(7), pages 2523-2554.
    17. Koomson, Isaac & Zhang, Quanda & Prakash, Kushneel, 2024. "Entrepreneurship and subjective wellbeing in China: Exploring linkages and potential channels," Journal of Business Venturing Insights, Elsevier, vol. 21(C).
    18. Denis A. Grégoire & Andrew C. Corbett & Jeffery S. McMullen, 2011. "The Cognitive Perspective in Entrepreneurship: An Agenda for Future Research," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 48, pages 1443-1477, September.
    19. Christopher J. Boudreaux & Boris Nikolaev, 2019. "Capital is not enough: opportunity entrepreneurship and formal institutions," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 53(3), pages 709-738, October.
    20. Sahasranamam, Sreevas & Nandakumar, M.K., 2020. "Individual capital and social entrepreneurship: Role of formal institutions," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 107(C), pages 104-117.
    21. Zhaozhi Wang & Shoufu Lin & Yang Chen & Oleksii Lyulyov & Tetyana Pimonenko, 2024. "The Digital Economy and Real Economy: The Dynamic Interaction Effect and the Coupling Coordination Degree," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(13), pages 1-20, July.
    22. Thorsten Semrau & Christian Hopp, 2016. "Complementary or compensatory? A contingency perspective on how entrepreneurs’ human and social capital interact in shaping start-up progress," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 46(3), pages 407-423, March.
    23. Ruta Aidis & Friederike Welter & David Smallbone & Nina Isakova, 2007. "Female entrepreneurship in transition economies: the case of Lithuania and Ukraine," Feminist Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 13(2), pages 157-183.
    24. Lowell W. Busenitz & Lawrence A. Plummer & Anthony C. Klotz & Ali Shahzad & Kevin Rhoads, 2014. "Entrepreneurship Research (1985–2009) and the Emergence of Opportunities," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 38(5), pages 1-20, September.
    25. R. Isil Yavuz, 2024. "Founders’ education, social capital, and their interplay in the intensity of new-venture internationalization," Journal of Small Business Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 62(1), pages 30-66, January.
    26. Anna, Alexandra L. & Chandler, Gaylen N. & Jansen, Erik & Mero, Neal P., 2000. "Women business owners in traditional and non-traditional industries," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 15(3), pages 279-303, May.
    27. Wang, Qing & Lin, Mengyun, 2019. "Work-family policy and female entrepreneurship: Evidence from China's subsidized child care program," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 256-270.
    28. Hongqi Wang & Tianyi Zhao & Sarah Y. Cooper & Shanshan Wang & Richard T. Harrison & Zhongji Yang, 2023. "Effective policy mixes in entrepreneurial ecosystems: a configurational analysis in China," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 60(4), pages 1509-1542, April.
    29. Davidsson, Per & Honig, Benson, 2003. "The role of social and human capital among nascent entrepreneurs," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 18(3), pages 301-331, May.
    30. Backes-Gellner, Uschi & Moog, Petra, 2013. "The disposition to become an entrepreneur and the jacks-of-all-trades in social and human capital," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 47(C), pages 55-72.
    31. Meng Chen & Wu Li, 2024. "Social capital development on interest-based networks: examining its antecedents, process, and consequences," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-10, December.
    32. Kim Klyver & Mark T. Schenkel, 2013. "From Resource Access to Use: Exploring the Impact of Resource Combinations on Nascent Entrepreneurship," Journal of Small Business Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 51(4), pages 539-556, October.
    33. Steven W. Bradley & Jeffery S. McMullen & Kendall Artz & Edward M. Simiyu, 2012. "Capital Is Not Enough: Innovation in Developing Economies," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 49(4), pages 684-717, June.
    34. Qinglong Zhan & Guo Li & Wenjie Zhan, 2023. "Measurement of the coupling coordination relationship between the structures of secondary vocational school programs and industries in China," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 10(1), pages 1-10, December.
    35. Tao, Chang-Qi & Yi, Meng-Ying & Wang, Chang-Song, 2023. "Coupling coordination analysis and Spatiotemporal heterogeneity between data elements and green development in China," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 1-15.
    36. Paul J. Ferri & David Deakins & Geoff Whittam, 2009. "The measurement of social capital in the entrepreneurial context," Journal of Enterprising Communities: People and Places in the Global Economy, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 3(2), pages 138-151, May.
    37. Klaus E. Meyer & Saul Estrin & Sumon Kumar Bhaumik & Mike W. Peng, 2009. "Institutions, resources, and entry strategies in emerging economies," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(1), pages 61-80, January.
    38. Janice A. Black & Kimberly B. Boal, 1994. "Strategic resources: Traits, configurations and paths to sustainable competitive advantage," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 15(S2), pages 131-148, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Titik Kusmantini & Heru Tri Sutiono & Anis Siti Hartati & Anidah Robani & Aris Kusumo Diantoro & Ashila Metta Rahmadati, 2025. "How do social entrepreneurship factors influence sustainable business development? The mediating role of social network," Asian Management and Business Review, Master of Management, Department of Management, Faculty of Business and Economics Universitas Islam Indonesia, vol. 5(1), pages 128-142.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Mohd Yasir Arafat & Javed Ali & Amit Kumar Dwivedi & Imran Saleem, 2020. "Social and Cognitive Aspects of Women Entrepreneurs: Evidence from India," Vikalpa: The Journal for Decision Makers, , vol. 45(4), pages 223-239, December.
    2. Sahasranamam, Sreevas & Nandakumar, M.K. & Pereira, Vijay & Temouri, Yama, 2021. "Knowledge capital in social and commercial entrepreneurship: Investigating the role of informal institutions," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 27(1).
    3. Matthew R. Marvel & Justin L. Davis & Curtis R. Sproul, 2016. "Human Capital and Entrepreneurship Research: A Critical Review and Future Directions," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 40(3), pages 599-626, May.
    4. Christopher J. Boudreaux & Daniel L. Bennett & David S. Lucas & Boris N. Nikolaev, 2023. "Taking mental models seriously: institutions, entrepreneurship, and the mediating role of socio-cognitive traits," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 61(2), pages 465-493, August.
    5. Xiuxiu Jiang & Xia Wang & Jia Ren, 2024. "Exploring the Multiple Combinations of Individual Capital and Institutional Contexts for High Levels of Entrepreneurial Activity," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 15(3), pages 14643-14669, September.
    6. Abeer Alomani & Rui Baptista & Suma S. Athreye, 2022. "The interplay between human, social and cognitive resources of nascent entrepreneurs," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 59(4), pages 1301-1326, December.
    7. Mengli Zhao & Shibin Sheng & Xiangyu Yang, 2024. "Does public employment foster or inhibit entrepreneurial intentions?," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 41(1), pages 317-349, March.
    8. Wenping Ye & Zhongfeng Su & David Ahlstrom, 2022. "Bankruptcy laws, entrepreneurs’ socio-cognitions, and the pursuit of innovative opportunities," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 59(3), pages 1005-1022, October.
    9. Ali, Abdul & Kelley, Donna J. & Levie, Jonathan, 2020. "Market-driven entrepreneurship and institutions," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 113(C), pages 117-128.
    10. Aparicio, Sebastian & Audretsch, David & Noguera, Maria & Urbano, David, 2022. "Can female entrepreneurs boost social mobility in developing countries? An institutional analysis," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 175(C).
    11. Phuoc Vu Ha & Michael Frömmel, 2019. "Social Capital, Credit Choices And Growth In Vietnamese Household Businesses," Journal of Developmental Entrepreneurship (JDE), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 24(03), pages 1-19, September.
    12. Jiang, Yiqi & Jiang, Zhou & Chen, Zhijun, 2024. "Women entrepreneurship in China: A bibliometric literature review and future research agenda," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 179(C).
    13. Petra Moog & Arndt Werner & Stefan Houweling & Uschi Backes-Gellner, 2015. "The impact of skills, working time allocation and peer effects on the entrepreneurial intentions of scientists," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 40(3), pages 493-511, June.
    14. Nicola Del Sarto & Alberto Di Minin & Giulio Ferrigno & Andrea Piccaluga, 2021. "Born global and well educated: start-up survival through fuzzy set analysis," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 56(4), pages 1405-1423, April.
    15. Sufyan, Muhammad & Degbey, William Y. & Glavee-Geo, Richard & Zoogah, Baniyelme D., 2023. "Transnational digital entrepreneurship and enterprise effectiveness: A micro-foundational perspective," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 160(C).
    16. Vartuhi Tonoyan & Christopher Boudreaux, 2023. "Gender Diversity in Ownership and Firm Innovativeness in Emerging Markets. The Mediating Roles of R&D Investments and External Capital," Papers 2301.01127, arXiv.org.
    17. David Urbano & Sebastian Aparicio & Victor Querol, 2016. "Social progress orientation and innovative entrepreneurship: an international analysis," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 26(5), pages 1033-1066, December.
    18. Ozgen, Sibel & Lapeira, Maria & Pissaris, Seema, 2021. "I got this! resource bundles and adversity: A situated entrepreneurial optimism perspective," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 136(C), pages 127-136.
    19. Leonidou, Erasmia & Christofi, Michael & Vrontis, Demetris & Thrassou, Alkis, 2020. "An integrative framework of stakeholder engagement for innovation management and entrepreneurship development," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 119(C), pages 245-258.
    20. Jeffery S. McMullen & Katrina M. Brownell & Joel Adams, 2021. "What Makes an Entrepreneurship Study Entrepreneurial? Toward A Unified Theory of Entrepreneurial Agency," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 45(5), pages 1197-1238, September.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:pal:palcom:v:11:y:2024:i:1:d:10.1057_s41599-024-04151-6. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.nature.com/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.