The Impact of Soft-Skills Training for Entrepreneurs in Jamaica

Diego Ubfal, Irani Arraiz, Diether Beuermann, Michael Frese, Alessandro Maffioli () and Daniel Verch ()
Additional contact information
Alessandro Maffioli: Inter-American Development Bank
Daniel Verch: Leuphana University Lüneburg

No 12325, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: A randomized control trial with 945 entrepreneurs in Jamaica shows positive shortterm impacts of soft-skills training on business outcomes. The effects are concentrated among men, and disappear twelve months after the training. We argue that the main channel is increased adoption of recommended business practices, exclusively observed in the short run. We see persistent effects on an incentivized behavioral measure of perseverance after setbacks, a focus of this training. We compare a course focused only on soft-skills to one that combines soft-skills training with traditional business training. The effects of the combined training are never statistically significant.

Keywords: entrepreneurship; business training; soft skills (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J24 L25 M13 O12 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 63 pages
Date: 2019-04
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-ent and nep-lma
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (9)

Published - published in: World Development, 2022, 152, 105787

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Related works:
Journal Article: The impact of soft-skills training for entrepreneurs in Jamaica (2022)
Working Paper: The Impact of Soft-Skills Training for Entrepreneurs in Jamaica (2020)
Working Paper: The Impact of Soft-Skills Training for Entrepreneurs in Jamaica (2019)
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