Learning Entrepreneurship from other Entrepreneurs?

Luigi Guiso, Luigi Pistaferri and Fabiano Schivardi
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Luigi Pistaferri: Stanford University

No 1512, EIEF Working Papers Series from Einaudi Institute for Economics and Finance (EIEF)

Abstract: We document that individuals who grew up in areas with high density of firms are more likely, as adults, to become entrepreneurs, controlling for the density of firms in their current location. Conditional on becoming entrepreneurs, the same individuals are also more likely to be successful entrepreneurs, as measured by business income or firm productivity. Strikingly, firm density at entrepreneur’s young age is more important than current firm density for business performance. These results are not driven by better access to external finance or intergenerational occupation choices. They are instead consistent with entrepreneurial capabilities being at least partly learnable through social contacts. In keeping with this interpretation, we find that entrepreneurs who at the age of 18 lived in areas with a higher firm density tend to adopt better managerial practices (enhancing productivity) later in life.

Pages: 52
Date: 2015, Revised 2015-11
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-bec, nep-cse, nep-ent and nep-sbm
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (24)

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Related works:
Journal Article: Learning Entrepreneurship from Other Entrepreneurs? (2021)
Working Paper: Learning Entrepreneurship From Other Entrepreneurs? (2015)
Working Paper: Learning Entrepreneurship From Other Entrepreneurs? (2015)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eie:wpaper:1512

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