Empowering the underprivileged in China: how does information accessibility affect their entrepreneurship?

Shanqing Liu, Shaolong Wang, Huwei Wen (), Congxian He and Zirong Song
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Shanqing Liu: Jiangxi Normal University
Shaolong Wang: Jiangxi Normal University
Huwei Wen: School of Economics and Management, Nanchang University
Congxian He: Jiangxi Normal University
Zirong Song: Jiangxi Normal University

Palgrave Communications, 2025, vol. 12, issue 1, 1-14

Abstract: Abstract Entrepreneurship and employment are crucial sources of sustainable livelihoods for underprivileged populations, but the availability of information shapes their entrepreneurship. This study investigates the role of information accessibility in entrepreneurship for underprivileged groups using the dataset from the China General Social Survey by Probit model. Empirical findings indicate that information accessibility has contributed to a 1.6 percent increase in the probability of entrepreneurship for the underprivileged, and the results remain robust after addressing endogeneity. Underprivileged groups with characteristics such as agricultural households, weak sociability, and middle age are more likely to enjoy the information dividend of entrepreneurship. Access to business information, social information, and entrepreneurial learning information are the factors that information accessibility influences entrepreneurship. These findings indicate that governments can improve the information environment, optimize information services, enhance the information awareness and skills of underprivileged groups, and realize the important role of information in promoting sustainable livelihoods of underprivileged groups. However, the limitation of our study is the lack of exploring the impact of information accessibility on entrepreneurship types and their changes over time. Future research could focus on the impact of information availability on different types of entrepreneurship among underprivileged groups and their changes over time, leading to more general conclusions and recommendations.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1057/s41599-025-04619-z

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