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Entrepreneurship and Regional Economic Growth: Towards A General Theory of Start-Ups

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  • Thomas Gries
  • Wim Naudé

Abstract

Start-ups of new firms are important for economic growth. However, start-up rates differ significantly between countries and within regions of the same country. A large empirical literature studies the reasons for this and attempts to identify the regional determinants of start-ups. In contrast, there is a much smaller theoretical literature that attempts the formal modelling of the start-up process within a region. In this paper, we attempt to contribute to this small literature by introducing a general theoretical model of the entrepreneurial start-up process.

Suggested Citation

  • Thomas Gries & Wim Naudé, 2008. "Entrepreneurship and Regional Economic Growth: Towards A General Theory of Start-Ups," WIDER Working Paper Series RP2008-70, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
  • Handle: RePEc:unu:wpaper:rp2008-70
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    Cited by:

    1. Krista B. Lewellyn & Maureen I. Muller-Kahle, 2016. "A configurational approach to understanding gender differences in entrepreneurial activity: a fuzzy set analysis of 40 countries," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 12(3), pages 765-790, September.
    2. Gries Thomas & Naude Wim, 2011. "Entrepreneurship, Structural Change and a Global Economic Crisis," Entrepreneurship Research Journal, De Gruyter, vol. 1(3), pages 1-43, July.
    3. Kent Eliasson & Hans Westlund, 2013. "Attributes influencing self-employment propensity in urban and rural Sweden," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 50(2), pages 479-514, April.
    4. United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) (ed.), 2009. "Globalization of Production and the Competitiveness of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises in Asia and the Pacific: Trends and Prospects," STUDIES IN TRADE AND INVESTMENT, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), volume 65, number tipub2540, December.
    5. Silviu Nate & Valentin Grecu & Andriy Stavytskyy & Ganna Kharlamova, 2022. "Fostering Entrepreneurial Ecosystems through the Stimulation and Mentorship of New Entrepreneurs," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(13), pages 1-18, June.
    6. Ing. Matthijs H. M. Hammer, 2012. "How Business Management benefit from Entrepreneurship," Proceedings- 10th International Conference on Mangement, Enterprise and Benchmarking (MEB 2012),, Óbuda University, Keleti Faculty of Business and Management.
    7. Tobias Stucki, 2009. "How long do external capital constraints matter?," KOF Working papers 09-241, KOF Swiss Economic Institute, ETH Zurich.
    8. Tengeh, Robertson Khan & Ballard, Harry & Slabbert, Andre, 2011. "A framework for acquiring the resources vital for the start-up of a business in South Africa:an African Immigrant’s Perspective," MPRA Paper 34211, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    9. Hans Westlund & Johan P. Larsson & Amy Olsson, 2012. "Startups and Local Social Capital in the Municipalities of Sweden," ERSA conference papers ersa12p91, European Regional Science Association.
    10. Tengeh, Robertson Khan & Ballard, Harry & Slabbert, Andre, 2011. "Financing the Start-up and Operation of Immigrant-owned Businesses: the path taken by African Immigrants in the Cape Town Metropolitan Area of South Africa," MPRA Paper 38405, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 19 Dec 2011.
    11. Georgios Fotopoulos, 2012. "Nonlinearities in regional economic growth and convergence: the role of entrepreneurship in the European union regions," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 48(3), pages 719-741, June.

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    Keywords

    Economic development; Entrepreneurship; Human capital; Regional economics;
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