National social capital, perceived entrepreneurial ability and entrepreneurial intentions
International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research
ISSN: 1355-2554
Article publication date: 3 December 2020
Issue publication date: 12 February 2021
Abstract
Purpose
Grounded in theory of planned behavior, this study explores how national social capital, as an important but untested element of institutional environment, influences the effect of perceived entrepreneurial ability on entrepreneurial intentions.
Design/methodology/approach
Using data of more than 95,000 individuals in 33 countries from Adult Population Survey (APS) conducted by Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM), combined with data collected by World Values Survey (WVS), this study employs hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) to assess the moderation effect of national social capital on the relationship between perceived entrepreneurial ability of individuals nested within different countries and entrepreneurial intentions.
Findings
The results reveal that national social capital enhances the positive impact of perceived entrepreneurial ability on the intent of individuals to start a new business. Notably, this study finds all three components of national social capital – generalized trust, breadth of formal organizational memberships and civic engagement– strengthen the influence of perceived entrepreneurial ability on entrepreneurial intentions.
Originality/value
As the main contribution, this research illustrates the combined effects of social environment (i.e. national social capital) and individuals' evaluations regarding their ability to start a business (i.e. perceived entrepreneurial ability) on entrepreneurial intentions. This study highlights that national social capital complements perceived entrepreneurial ability by helping identify favorable start-up conditions and increasing the tendency of people to act on those conditions.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors sincerely thank Dr. Tunstall and two anonymous reviewers for their insightful feedback. We also thank Dr. William Judge and Dr. Anil Nair for their helpful comments.
Citation
Amini Sedeh, A., Abootorabi, H. and Zhang, J. (2021), "National social capital, perceived entrepreneurial ability and entrepreneurial intentions", International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, Vol. 27 No. 2, pp. 334-355. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEBR-10-2019-0616
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited