Social structure, Reasonable Gain, and Entrepreneurship in Africa
Social structure, Reasonable Gain, and Entrepreneurship in Africa
In the context of desperate poverty, characterized by households at subsistence level that experience economic loss and social fracture, explanations for why individuals undertake entry into entrepreneurship are limited. We find that individuals rely on their social relationships to enable entrepreneurial activities that have the potential to create a reasonable income gain. In a sample of 1,049 households in rural Kenya, we test whether the disintegration of social structure attenuates entrepreneurial behavior. When coupled with factors such as income loss, gender of the household head, and access to communal resources, social structure plays a pivotal role in entrepreneurial action. We propose that the search for reasonable income gain is a key driver of entrepreneurial action at subsistence levels, thereby adding to behavioral explanations of entrepreneurship.
entrepreneurship, Africa, entry, reasonable gain, affordable loss, effectuation, poverty, mobility, occupational change, gender, women
George, G.
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Kotha, R.
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Parikh, P.
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Alnuaimi, T.
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Bahaj, A.S.
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George, G.
5808519b-64b6-4881-ad76-0971786f2da1
Kotha, R.
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Parikh, P.
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Alnuaimi, T.
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Bahaj, A.S.
a64074cc-2b6e-43df-adac-a8437e7f1b37
George, G., Kotha, R., Parikh, P., Alnuaimi, T. and Bahaj, A.S.
(2015)
Social structure, Reasonable Gain, and Entrepreneurship in Africa.
Strategic Management Journal.
(doi:10.1002/smj.2381).
Abstract
In the context of desperate poverty, characterized by households at subsistence level that experience economic loss and social fracture, explanations for why individuals undertake entry into entrepreneurship are limited. We find that individuals rely on their social relationships to enable entrepreneurial activities that have the potential to create a reasonable income gain. In a sample of 1,049 households in rural Kenya, we test whether the disintegration of social structure attenuates entrepreneurial behavior. When coupled with factors such as income loss, gender of the household head, and access to communal resources, social structure plays a pivotal role in entrepreneurial action. We propose that the search for reasonable income gain is a key driver of entrepreneurial action at subsistence levels, thereby adding to behavioral explanations of entrepreneurship.
Text
SMJAfricaFinal.pdf
- Accepted Manuscript
More information
Accepted/In Press date: 23 February 2015
e-pub ahead of print date: 22 April 2015
Keywords:
entrepreneurship, Africa, entry, reasonable gain, affordable loss, effectuation, poverty, mobility, occupational change, gender, women
Organisations:
Energy & Climate Change Group
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 375462
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/375462
PURE UUID: 22c2846f-235e-4ce7-bec0-dc2b99cea61e
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Date deposited: 27 Mar 2015 11:44
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 02:33
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Contributors
Author:
G. George
Author:
R. Kotha
Author:
P. Parikh
Author:
T. Alnuaimi
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