TY  - JOUR
AU  - Ardagna,Silvia
AU  - Lusardi,Annamaria
TI  - Explaining International Differences in Entrepreneurship: The Role of Individual Characteristics and Regulatory Constraints
JF  - National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper Series
VL  - No. 14012
PY  - 2008
Y2  - May 2008
UR  - http://www.nber.org/papers/w14012
L1  - http://www.nber.org/papers/w14012.pdf
N1  - Author contact info:
Silvia Ardagna
Department of Economics
Harvard University
Littauer Center
Cambridge, MA 02138
E-Mail: sardagna@fas.harvard.edu

Annamaria Lusardi
NBER
1050 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138
Tel: 617-588-1461
E-Mail: a.lusardi@dartmouth.edu
AB  - We use a micro dataset that collects information across individuals, countries, and time to investigate the determinants of entrepreneurial activity in thirty-seven developed and developing nations. We focus both on individual characteristics and on countries' regulatory differences. We show that individual characteristics, such as gender, age, and status in the workforce are important determinants of entrepreneurship, and we also highlight the relevance of social networks, self-assessed skills, and attitudes toward risk. Moreover, we find that regulation plays a critical role, particularly for those individuals who become entrepreneurs to pursue a business opportunity. The individual characteristics that are impacted most by regulation are those measuring working status, social network, business skills, and attitudes toward risk
ER  -