Do entrepreneurs matter?

Sascha Becker and Hans Hvide

No 270547, Economic Research Papers from University of Warwick - Department of Economics

Abstract: In the large literature on Örm performance, economists have given little attention to entrepreneurs. We use deaths of more than 500 entrepreneurs as a source of exogenous variation, and ask whether this variation can explain shifts in Örm performance. Using longitudinal data, we Önd large and sustained e§ects of entrepreneurs at all levels of the performance distribution. Entrepreneurs strongly a§ect Örm growth patterns of both very young Örms and for Örms that have begun to mature. We do not Önd signiÖcant di§erences between small and larger Örms, family and non-family Örms, nor between Örms located in urban and rural areas, but we do Önd stronger e§ects for founders with high human capital. Overall, the results suggest that an often overlooked factor ñindividual entrepreneurs ñplays a large role in affecting firm performance.

Keywords: Financial; Economics (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 44
Date: 2013-01-11
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (21)

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Related works:
Working Paper: Do Entrepreneurs Matter? (2013)
Working Paper: Do entrepreneurs matter? (2013)
Working Paper: Do entrepreneurs matter? (2013)
Working Paper: Do Entrepreneurs Matter? (2013)
Working Paper: Do entrepreneurs matter? (2013)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ags:uwarer:270547

DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.270547

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