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Illegal Entrepreneurship Experience

Author

Listed:
  • Ruta Aidis

    (University College London)

  • Mirjam van Praag

    (Faculty of Economics, Universiteit van Amsterdam)

Abstract

Existing studies show a positive relationship between entrepreneurs' business performance and their conventional human capital as measured by previous business experience and formal education. In this paper, we explore whether illegal entrepreneurship experience (IEE), an unconventional form of human capital, is related to the performance and motivation of entrepreneurs operating legal businesses in a transition context. Using regression techniques on a sample of 399 private business owners in Lithuania, we find that, in general, IEE is significantly and positively associated with subjective measures of business motivation. Moreover, younger entrepreneurs benefit from their IEE in terms of business performance, indicating that they have been more successful than older entrepreneurs in transferring their IEE to a market oriented setting. In addition, IEE and business performance are positively related for entrepreneurs who started completely new legal businesses. Thus, our research partially supports the notion that prior experience in the black or gray market may signal and provide valuable human capital for legal enterprising. This discussion paper has resulted in a publication in the Journal of Business Venturing , 2007, 22(2), 283-310.

Suggested Citation

  • Ruta Aidis & Mirjam van Praag, 2004. "Illegal Entrepreneurship Experience," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 04-105/3, Tinbergen Institute.
    • Handle: RePEc:tin:wpaper:20040105
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Nino Kokashvili & Irakli Barbakadze & Ketevani Kapanadze, 2017. "How Participating In The Shadow Economy Affects The Growth Of Latvian Firms," University of Tartu - Faculty of Economics and Business Administration Working Paper Series 101, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, University of Tartu (Estonia).
    2. Prof. Walter Ruda & Prof. Thomas A. Martin & Benjamin Danko & Dr. Agnieszka Kurczewska, 2012. "Existenzgründungsintentionen von Studierenden – Ein Entrepreneurship-Vergleich von Polen und Deutschland," Proceedings- 10th International Conference on Mangement, Enterprise and Benchmarking (MEB 2012),, Óbuda University, Keleti Faculty of Business and Management.
    3. Sameeksha Desai, 2009. "Measuring Entrepreneurship in Developing Countries," WIDER Working Paper Series RP2009-10, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    4. Jose Maria Millan & Emilio Congregado & Concepcion Roman & Mirjam van Praag & Andre van Stel, 2011. "The Value of an Educated Population for an Individual's Entrepreneurship Success," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 11-066/3, Tinbergen Institute, revised 06 May 2014.
    5. Costin-Dan DAVID & Danut-Dumitru DUMITRASCU, 2021. "Organised Crime As An Entrepreneurial Activity," Proceedings of the INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE, Faculty of Management, Academy of Economic Studies, Bucharest, Romania, vol. 15(1), pages 506-513, November.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    entrepreneurship; human capital; illegal entrepreneurship; transition economy;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J21 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Force and Employment, Size, and Structure
    • J23 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Demand
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • J49 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Particular Labor Markets - - - Other
    • L25 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Firm Performance
    • M13 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Business Administration - - - New Firms; Startups
    • O17 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Formal and Informal Sectors; Shadow Economy; Institutional Arrangements
    • P31 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Socialist Institutions and Their Transitions - - - Socialist Enterprises and Their Transitions

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