Subjective perception of entrepreneurship. Differences among countries

摘要

Entrepreneurship is a field of growing interest for economic research. Entrepreneurs contribute actively to economic growth, because they create employment and wealth. Knowledge and entrepreneurship play an important role in economic progress and they lead the from a management economy towards an entrepreneurial economy. Understanding entrepreneurial activity is essential to characterize both entrepreneurs and their businesses so that public policies that intend to promote and support the creation of companies are effective and efficient. This research proposes a new classification of countries using statistical tools, taking into account the countries present in GEM (Global Entrepreneurship Monitor) for years 2004, 2009 and 2014. This classification allows to analyze the evolution of the perception of entrepreneurial opportunities, as well as to identify the cultural patterns of entrepreneurship. The results show that entrepreneurial activity does not depend only on economic development, but also on behavioral economics. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc All rights reserved.