IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/kap/sbusec/v58y2022i3d10.1007_s11187-021-00458-9.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The effects of social spending on entrepreneurship in developed nations

Author

Listed:
  • Shelby Solomon

    (University of West Florida)

  • Joshua S. Bendickson

    (University of Louisiana at Lafayette)

  • Eric W. Liguori

    (Rowan University)

  • Matthew R. Marvel

    (Ball State University)

Abstract

Understanding how national policy can spur entrepreneurial activity is central to entrepreneurship research. Over the past decade, there has been a limited set of research findings to suggest that social spending may increase entrepreneurship in addition to serving more direct social purposes. We examine the topic through the lens of market failure theory and Austrian economics. In accordance with the Austrian perspective, we theorize that social spending increases the opportunity cost of entrepreneurship, thereby decreasing the attractiveness of entrepreneurship in comparison to salaried employment. Drawing from a sample of 31 developed countries spanning 2004–2011, we investigate the effects of social spending on entrepreneurial attitudes and activity. Our results indicate that country level social spending negatively affects entrepreneurial activity, business ownership, and the public’s view of entrepreneurship as a career choice. The findings suggest that social spending may be better suited for addressing social issues compared to spurring entrepreneurial attitudes or activity. Our findings have implications for both the entrepreneurship and national policy literature.

Suggested Citation

  • Shelby Solomon & Joshua S. Bendickson & Eric W. Liguori & Matthew R. Marvel, 2022. "The effects of social spending on entrepreneurship in developed nations," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 58(3), pages 1595-1607, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:sbusec:v:58:y:2022:i:3:d:10.1007_s11187-021-00458-9
    DOI: 10.1007/s11187-021-00458-9
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11187-021-00458-9
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s11187-021-00458-9?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. Andreas Freytag & Roy Thurik, 2010. "Entrepreneurship and its Determinants in a Cross-Country Setting," Springer Books, in: Andreas Freytag & Roy Thurik (ed.), Entrepreneurship and Culture, chapter 0, pages 157-170, Springer.
    2. Martin, Stephen & Scott, John T., 2000. "The nature of innovation market failure and the design of public support for private innovation," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 29(4-5), pages 437-447, April.
    3. André van Stel & Peter Brouwer & Sander Wennekers & Jolanda Hessels, 2007. "Social security arrangements and early-stage entrepreneurial activity," Scales Research Reports H200708, EIM Business and Policy Research.
    4. Eric Liguori & Josh Bendickson & Shelby Solomon & William C. McDowell, 2019. "Development of a multi-dimensional measure for assessing entrepreneurial ecosystems," Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 31(1-2), pages 7-21, January.
    5. Aidis, Ruta & Estrin, Saul & Mickiewicz, Tomasz, 2008. "Institutions and entrepreneurship development in Russia: A comparative perspective," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 23(6), pages 656-672, November.
    6. Song, Changhyeon & Park, Kyung Min & Kim, Yeonbae, 2020. "Socio-cultural factors explaining technology-based entrepreneurial activity: Direct and indirect role of social security," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 61(C).
    7. Naudé, Wim, 2012. "Entrepreneurship and economic development: Theory, evidence and policy," MERIT Working Papers 2012-027, United Nations University - Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT).
    8. Jarna Heinonen & Ulla Hytti & Thomas M. Cooney, 2010. "The context matters," Management Research Review, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 33(12), pages 1158-1173, November.
    9. Saul Estrin & Tomasz Mickiewicz, 2011. "Institutions and female entrepreneurship," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 37(4), pages 397-415, November.
    10. Farzana Chowdhury & Siri Terjesen & David Audretsch, 2015. "Varieties of entrepreneurship: institutional drivers across entrepreneurial activity and country," European Journal of Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 40(1), pages 121-148, August.
    11. Hausmann, Ricardo & Rodrik, Dani, 2003. "Economic development as self-discovery," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 72(2), pages 603-633, December.
    12. Johannes Bloh & Tom Broekel & Burcu Özgun & Rolf Sternberg, 2020. "New(s) data for entrepreneurship research? An innovative approach to use Big Data on media coverage," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 55(3), pages 673-694, October.
    13. Hans-Werner Sinn, 1996. "Social insurance, incentives and risk taking," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 3(3), pages 259-280, July.
    14. Andreas Engelen & Florian Heinemann & Malte Brettel, 2009. "Cross-cultural entrepreneurship research: Current status and framework for future studies," Journal of International Entrepreneurship, Springer, vol. 7(3), pages 163-189, September.
    15. Israel M. Kirzner, 1997. "Entrepreneurial Discovery and the Competitive Market Process: An Austrian Approach," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 35(1), pages 60-85, March.
    16. Gustafsson, Anders & Gustavsson Tingvall, Patrik & Halvarsson, Daniel, 2017. "Subsidy Entrepreneurs," Ratio Working Papers 303, The Ratio Institute.
    17. Magnus Henrekson, 2005. "Entrepreneurship: a weak link in the welfare state?," Industrial and Corporate Change, Oxford University Press and the Associazione ICC, vol. 14(3), pages 437-467, June.
    18. Koellinger, Philipp & Minniti, Maria, 2009. "Unemployment benefits crowd out nascent entrepreneurial activity," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 103(2), pages 96-98, May.
    19. Zoltán J. Ács & Erkko Autio & László Szerb, 2015. "National Systems of Entrepreneurship: Measurement issues and policy implications," Chapters, in: Global Entrepreneurship, Institutions and Incentives, chapter 28, pages 523-541, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    20. Oliver Falck & Stephan Heblich & Elke Luedemann, 2012. "Identity and entrepreneurship: do school peers shape entrepreneurial intentions?," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 39(1), pages 39-59, July.
    21. Philip T. Roundy, 2019. "Regional differences in impact investment: a theory of impact investing ecosystems," Social Responsibility Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 16(4), pages 467-485, June.
    22. Diana M. Hechavarría & Amy E. Ingram, 2019. "Entrepreneurial ecosystem conditions and gendered national-level entrepreneurial activity: a 14-year panel study of GEM," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 53(2), pages 431-458, August.
    23. repec:cup:cbooks:9780521828130 is not listed on IDEAS
    24. Ruta Aidis & Julia Korosteleva & Tomasz Marek Mickiewicz, 2008. "Entrepreneurship in Russia," UCL SSEES Economics and Business working paper series 88, UCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies (SSEES).
    25. Coviello, Nicole E. & Jones, Marian V., 2004. "Methodological issues in international entrepreneurship research," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 19(4), pages 485-508, July.
    26. Islam, Asif, 2015. "Entrepreneurship and the Allocation of Government Spending Under Imperfect Markets," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 108-121.
    27. Baumol, William J., 1993. "Formal entrepreneurship theory in economics: Existence and bounds," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 8(3), pages 197-210, May.
    28. Dahmen, Erik, 1984. "Schumpeterian dynamics : Some methodological notes," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 5(1), pages 25-34, March.
    29. Abdallah S. Daar & Trillium Chang & Angela Salomon & Peter A. Singer, 2018. "Grand challenges in humanitarian aid," Nature, Nature, vol. 559(7713), pages 169-173, July.
    30. Christine M. Chan & Takehiko Isobe & Shige Makino, 2008. "Which country matters? Institutional development and foreign affiliate performance," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(11), pages 1179-1205, November.
    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. Ioscha Cordier & Marco Bade, 2023. "The relationship between business regulation and nascent and young business entrepreneurship revisited," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 61(2), pages 587-616, August.
    2. Chen, Fanglin & Zhang, Jie & Chen, Zhongfei, 2024. "Assessment of the effects of extreme temperature on economic activity," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 222(C).

    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. Solomon, Shelby J. & Bendickson, Joshua S. & Marvel, Matt R. & McDowell, William C. & Mahto, Raj, 2021. "Agency theory and entrepreneurship: A cross-country analysis," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 122(C), pages 466-476.
    2. David Urbano & Sebastian Aparicio & David Audretsch, 2019. "Twenty-five years of research on institutions, entrepreneurship, and economic growth: what has been learned?," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 53(1), pages 21-49, June.
    3. Claudia Álvarez & David Urbano & José Amorós, 2014. "GEM research: achievements and challenges," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 42(3), pages 445-465, March.
    4. Song, Changhyeon & Park, Kyung Min & Kim, Yeonbae, 2020. "Socio-cultural factors explaining technology-based entrepreneurial activity: Direct and indirect role of social security," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 61(C).
    5. R. Sandra Schillo & Ajax Persaud & Meng Jin, 2016. "Entrepreneurial readiness in the context of national systems of entrepreneurship," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 46(4), pages 619-637, April.
    6. Harris, Jared D. & Sapienza, Harry J. & Bowie, Norman E., 2009. "Ethics and entrepreneurship," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 24(5), pages 407-418, September.
    7. Daria Volchek & Ari Jantunen & Sami Saarenketo, 2013. "The institutional environment for international entrepreneurship in Russia: Reflections on growth decisions and performance in SMEs," Journal of International Entrepreneurship, Springer, vol. 11(4), pages 320-350, December.
    8. Zoltan J. Acs & Saul Estrin & Tomasz Mickiewicz & László Szerb, 2018. "Entrepreneurship, institutional economics, and economic growth: an ecosystem perspective," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 51(2), pages 501-514, August.
    9. Kiss, Andreea N. & Danis, Wade M. & Cavusgil, S. Tamer, 2012. "International entrepreneurship research in emerging economies: A critical review and research agenda," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 27(2), pages 266-290.
    10. Estrin, Saul & Korosteleva, Julia & Mickiewicz, Tomasz, 2013. "Which institutions encourage entrepreneurial growth aspirations?," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 28(4), pages 564-580.
    11. Estrin, Saul & Mickiewicz, Tomasz & Korosteleva, Julia, 2011. "Which Institutions Encourage Entrepreneurs to Create Larger Firms?," CEPR Discussion Papers 8247, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    12. Justin Paul & Philippe Hermel & Archana Srivatava, 2017. "Entrepreneurial intentions—theory and evidence from Asia, America, and Europe," Journal of International Entrepreneurship, Springer, vol. 15(3), pages 324-351, September.
    13. Aleksandrova, E. & Verkhovskaya, O., 2015. "Institutional determinants of necessity-driven entrepreneurship," Working Papers 6434, Graduate School of Management, St. Petersburg State University.
    14. Alexander Chepurenko & Maria Kristalova & Michael Wyrwich, 2019. "Historical and Institutional Determinants of Universities’ Role in Fostering Entrepreneurship," Foresight and STI Governance (Foresight-Russia till No. 3/2015), National Research University Higher School of Economics, vol. 13(4), pages 48-59.
    15. Ruta Aidis & Saul Estrin & Tomasz Mickiewicz, 2012. "Size matters: entrepreneurial entry and government," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 39(1), pages 119-139, July.
    16. Melita Nicotra & Marco Romano & Manlio Giudice & Carmela Elita Schillaci, 2018. "The causal relation between entrepreneurial ecosystem and productive entrepreneurship: a measurement framework," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 43(3), pages 640-673, June.
    17. Jing Su & Qinghua Zhai & Tomas Karlsson, 2017. "Beyond Red Tape and Fools: Institutional Theory in Entrepreneurship Research, 1992–2014," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 41(4), pages 505-531, July.
    18. David Urbano & David Audretsch & Sebastian Aparicio & Maria Noguera, 2020. "Does entrepreneurial activity matter for economic growth in developing countries? The role of the institutional environment," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 16(3), pages 1065-1099, September.
    19. Muhammad Faraz Riaz & João Leitão & Uwe Cantner, 2022. "Measuring the efficiency of an entrepreneurial ecosystem at municipality level: does institutional transparency play a moderating role?," Eurasian Business Review, Springer;Eurasia Business and Economics Society, vol. 12(1), pages 151-176, March.
    20. Acs, Zoltan J. & Estrin, Saul & Mickiewicz, Tomasz & Szerb, László, 2014. "The Continued Search for the Solow Residual: The Role of National Entrepreneurial Ecosystem," IZA Discussion Papers 8652, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).

    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:kap:sbusec:v:58:y:2022:i:3:d:10.1007_s11187-021-00458-9. 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: http://www.springer.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.