Friederike Welter

Entrepreneurial activity in the informal economy: a missing piece of the entrepreneurship jigsaw puzzle

This paper takes stock of the current debate around the informal sector and informal entrepreneurship. Informal entrepreneurship represents a worldwide characteristic of entrepreneurial activity, the main distinguishing feature of which is that it is operating outside the law. Since what is legal can vary considerably between countries, studies of entrepreneurship which exclude informal activity must be considered partial. Moreover, it can be argued that the distinction between formal and informal is not black and white but rather shades of grey. Although informal economic activity is often more prominent in developing countries and transition economies, it is by no means confined to them. There are parts of the UK, for example, where local economies are dependent upon informal employment and for many goods and services. More generally, much of the home-based economic activities, such as cleaning, painting and decorating and other services, are typically provided, at least partially, in the informal sector. As a consequence, it is difficult to argue against including informal activity as part of the study of entrepreneurship, and particularly where the entrepreneurial potential of an economy is being assessed.

Institutional Development and Entrepreneurship in a Transition Context

The start of the second decade after the transformation process began is an appropriate time to reflect on some of the emerging policy issues affecting small business development. While emphasising that setting up, operating and developing businesses results from the creativity, drive and commitment of individuals, rather than as a result of government actions, the conditions that enable and/or constrain entrepreneurship are affected by the wider social, economic and institutional context, over which the state has a major influence. In this regard, a key point to stress is the variety of ways in which government can affect the nature, extent and pace of small business development in an economy, rather than narrowly focusing on direct support measures. As a result, when considering the question of policies to support small business development, it is necessary to consider the implications of a range of government policies, institutions and actions for the environment in which small businesses can develop, instead of just focusing on direct interventions that are specifically targeted at small businesses. This is because any benefits accruing from the latter may be more than outweighed by the negative effects of other government policies and actions and those of state institutions. This applies in mature market-based economies as well as in those at various stages of transition, although the transition context typically adds further dimensions.

Women entrepreneurs’ financing revisited: taking stock and looking forward

It is more than 10 years since the special issue on women and the financing of their entrepreneurial ventures (Leitch and Hill 2006) was published in this journal. At that time, the editors drew on...

Women’s entrepreneurship policy: a 13-nation cross-country comparison: A Comparative Analysis

This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Henry, C., Orser, B. & Coleman, S. & Foss, L. (2017). Womens entrepreneurship policy: a 13 nation cross-country comparison. International Journal of Gender and Entrepreneurship , 9(3), 206-228. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJGE-07-2017-0036, which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1108/IJGE-07-2017-0036 .

Strengthening the self- and external perceptions of young women STEM professionals (YWSP) during career entry and advancement: a research project

This short paper outlines a project that explores the influence of the self- and external perceptions of young women STEM professionals (YWSP) at the time of their career entry and advancement. The empirical basis for the project is 72 in-depth interviews, which will be conducted in different regions of Germany with women entrepreneurs and women managers in STEM fields as well as with other experts and stakeholders. Additionally, existing statistical data concerning the occupational situation YWSP in Germany will be analyzed. The objective of the project is to identify the opportunities, challenges, and barriers that YWSP face, especially the role perceptions play in this regard. In doing so, we aim to achieve a better understanding of the situation of YWSP in Germany. By accurately deriving recommendations for actions, we aim to contribute to increased gender equality and an increased number of high-qualified women in the male-dominated STEM areas.

Introduction: women's entrepreneurship in global and local contexts

The phenomenon of women’s entrepreneurship has gained significant momentum across the globe. Increasingly businesses started and managed by women are contributing to job creation, innovation and wellbeing (Kelley et al. 2015). Despite the contributions women entrepreneurs have made to overall economic wellbeing, the vast majority of prior research about women entrepreneurs has taken an individualcentric approach (Pathak et al., 2013; Jennings and Brush, 2013). However, recently we are observing a shift in the focus of women’s entrepreneurship research from microlevel and individual factors to a greater focus on how mesoand macrocontextual levels impact individuals’ decisions – that is, from “gender as a variable” to research based more on feminist perspectives and the formal and informal institutional factors that influence entrepreneurial creation by women (Brush et al., 2006). Even with the shift in research interest on the influence of contextual variables on women entrepreneurs, the impact of macronational social values and cultural traditions (AlDajani and Marlow, 2010; Roomi, 2013; Zahra and Wright, 2011) and gendered social forces (Brush et al., 2009; DíazGarcía and Welter, 2013; Loscocco and Bird, 2012) remains underresearched. Because entrepreneurship is a social embedded process, connecting entrepreneurial behaviours of individuals to their context can offer a more insightful explanation of the entrepreneurial phenomenon (Davidsson 2004; Sarasvathy 2004; Zahra 2007; Welter 2011; Zahra et al., 2014). Berg (1997: 262) argues that “the material and sociocultural contexts in which entrepreneurship take place are gendered”. Therefore, women entrepreneurship research would benefit greatly from taking into consideration how macronational factors, such as cultural norms and societal expectations, and the mesoorganizational structures and institutions are

Unternehmensnachfolge – Entwicklung und Perspektiven

Die Frage der Fortfuhrung des Unternehmens stellt sich mittelstandischen Unternehmern zumeist dann, wenn sie aus gesundheitlichen oder Altersgrunden aus der Geschaftsfuhrung des Unternehmens ausscheiden wollen oder mussen. Die Beantwortung dieser Frage ist sowohl fur den Unternehmer selbst und seine Familie als auch fur die Beschaftigten, unter Umstanden aber auch fur die Lieferanten und Kunden von groser Bedeutung. Gelingt es nicht, die sogenannte Nachfolgefrage rechtzeitig und angemessen zu beantworten, droht eine Zerschlagung oder Stilllegung des Unternehmens und damit ein Vermogensverlust auf Seiten des mittelstandischen Unternehmers und seiner Angehorigen, ein (vorubergehender) Arbeitsplatzverlust auf Seiten der Arbeitnehmer, der Verlust einer Bezugsquelle fur Kunden und eines Kunden fur Lieferanten.