Non-Cognitive Skills and Farmers’ Entrepreneurial Performance: Evidence from Chinese Family Panel Studies

Shasha Zhang, Huaquan Zhang, Ghulam Raza Sargani, Qian Liu, Jin Tang and Xungang Zheng
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Shasha Zhang: College of Management, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Huaquan Zhang: College of Economics, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Ghulam Raza Sargani: College of Economics, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Qian Liu: Office of Academic Affairs, Hebei Open University, Shijiazhuang 050071, China
Jin Tang: College of Management, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Xungang Zheng: College of Management, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China

Agriculture, 2022, vol. 12, issue 8, 1-20

Abstract: Improving the entrepreneurial performance of farmers is conducive to increasing their income, reducing poverty, and securing livelihoods. In the quest for sustainable livelihoods, non-cognitive skills are becoming increasingly significant. Based on data from the 2018 Chinese Family Panel Study, this paper uses the ‘Big Five’ personality traits and a cross-sectional regression model to construct an indicator system to analyze farmers’ non-cognitive skills empirically and determine how these skills affect entrepreneurial performance. The results are as follows: (1) non-cognitive skills that significantly affect farmers’ entrepreneurial performance are, in order of influence, openness, extroversion, conscientiousness, and agreeableness. After considering endogeneity and substitution-explained variables, the above conclusions are still robust. (2) Heterogeneity analysis finds that farmers over 40 and those who start their businesses in cities have higher returns on non-cognitive entrepreneurship. (3) The paper confirms that non-cognitive skills improve farmers’ entrepreneurial performance through human and social capital effects. Therefore, entrepreneurs should consciously improve their non-cognitive skills by cultivating an enterprising and innovative spirit and social skills. The government’s entrepreneurship training for farmers should also focus on setting up courses in non-cognitive skills development to enhance farmers’ entrepreneurial literacy and skills.

Keywords: non-cognitive skills; farmers’ entrepreneurial performance; human capital effects; social capital effect; CFPS (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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