Alicia Coduras

Environmental Conditions and Entrepreneurial Activity: A Regional Comparison in Spain

Purpose – The main objective of this paper is to analyse the influence of environmental factors on entrepreneurship at the Spanish regional level, using institutional economics as the theoretical framework for the research. Additionally, this work aims to emphasize how environmental conditions have different effects according to the gender of entrepreneurs. Design/methodology/approach – Regional panel data (19 Spanish regions and the 2006-2009 period) from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM), specifically from the Spanish National Expert Survey (NES) for environmental conditions and the GEM Adult Population Survey (APS) for entrepreneurial activity were analysed within a fixed effects model with panel corrected standard errors. Findings – The main findings of the study indicate that both informal (cultural and social norms, perception of opportunities to start-up and entrepreneur social image) and formal factors (intellectual property rights) influence entrepreneurship, but the informal are more determinant than the formal. Concerning the gender issues, informal and formal institutions are also determinant, but female entrepreneurship is significantly associated with the womens support to start-up, whereas primary and higher education are associated only with male entrepreneurial activity. Research limitations/implications – The results of the research should be interpreted carefully, because the availability of data constrained the analysis to a time period that is not reflective of the economic cycle; on the contrary, the data correspond to a period of recession, and thus the results cannot be generalized. Also, the study could extend the analysed period and compare the obtained results with international data, considering the global number of participant countries in the GEM Project. Originality/value – The study provides a methodology to analyse the environmental factors for new firm creation at a regional level, combining GEM data and institutional economics.

The Regional Application of the Global Entrepreneurship and Development Index (GEDI): The Case of Spain

Ács Z. J., Szerb L., Ortega-Argilés R., Aidis R. and Coduras A. The regional application of the Global Entrepreneurship and Development Index (GEDI): the case of Spain, Regional Studies. This paper constructs a regional application of the Global Entrepreneurship and Development Index (GEDI) that captures the contextual features of entrepreneurship across regions. Using institutional data and survey data, weaknesses in the incentive structure that affect regional development can be identified. The entrepreneurial disparities among regions are analysed at the country and regional levels using a penalty for bottleneck methodology. The methodology allows public policy action to be coordinated at both national and regional levels. It is found that GEDI provides a valuable tool for understanding regional differences across Spanish regions.

Entrepreneurs' Perceptions of Success: Examining Differences Across Gender and Family Status

Our study examines to what extent female and male entrepreneurs differ in the way they perceive and assess entrepreneurial success, measured by extrinsic or intrinsic dimensions. Our results indicate a number of similarities between men and women entrepreneurs but also reveal interesting gender-based differences related to family status. Rather than assuming that women entrepreneurs are a homogeneous group, we found that family factors, and especially parental status, play a key role in shaping fundamentally different perceptions of entrepreneurial success amongst different types of women entrepreneurs.

The Regional Entrepreneurship and Development Index (REDI): The Case of Spain

This paper constructs a Regional Entrepreneurship and Development Index (REDI) that captures the contextual features of entrepreneurship across regions. Using both institutional data and survey data weaknesses in the incentive structure that affects regional development can be identified. The entrepreneurial disparities among regions are analysed at the country and regional level using a penalty for bottleneck methodology. The methodology allows us to coordinate public policy action at national and regional levels.

Entrepreneurial Ecosystems in Arabic Countries: A Recent Overview

The authors provide a broad view of the field of entrepreneurial ecosystem evaluation in a sample of Arabic countries, emphasising the importance of a country’s status to fostering good-quality entrepreneurial activity. After framing the issue and reviewing the most relevant academic literature, the authors discuss the existing relationship between the current entrepreneurial conditions in each country and the characteristics of their entrepreneurial activity. They also consider the status of the entrepreneurial ecosystem of each country and its potential impact on the creation of new business activities, identifying their strengths and weaknesses and reflecting in depth on the elements that would have to work to progress the modernisation of these ecosystems.