Applying Mixed Methods in Entrepreneurship to Address the Complex Interplay of Structure and Agency in Networks: A Focus on the Contribution of Qualitative Approaches

Judith Mühlenhoff ()
Additional contact information
Judith Mühlenhoff: University of Potsdam

A chapter in Complexity in Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Technology Research, 2016, pp 37-61 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract Networks define a key entity in entrepreneurship and have spurred an enormous amount of research. Nonetheless, research lacks studies on entrepreneurial contexts and opportunities. This is due to the common separation of research on networks between the macro-level of structure, conducted by quantitative methods, and the micro-level of agency, conducted by qualitative methods. Mixed methods provide ways to bridge this separation of structure and agency and grasp the complexity of entrepreneurial action from a multidimensional perspective. Hence, mixed methods are crucial for conducting studies to answer urgent questions of the research field and inform theory building. This chapter guides researchers in applying mixed methods of network research in entrepreneurship. It gives an overview of different research designs with several examples and recommendations. The chapter focuses on the integration of qualitative approaches into mixed methods because first of all, they have been neglected and training is required, and secondly, qualitative approaches show promise to address current gaps in entrepreneurship research.

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Mixed methods; Networks; Qualitative methods; Study design (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

There are no downloads for this item, see the EconPapers FAQ for hints about obtaining it.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:fgfchp:978-3-319-27108-8_3

Ordering information: This item can be ordered from
http://www.springer.com/9783319271088

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-27108-8_3

Access Statistics for this chapter

More chapters in FGF Studies in Small Business and Entrepreneurship from Springer
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().