nep-ent New Economics Papers
on Entrepreneurship
Issue of 2026–09–14
four papers chosen by
Marcus Dejardin, Université de Namur
  1. Why Do High-Income Parents Raise More Entrepreneurs? By Toni Juuti
  2. Selection into Entrepreneurship, Income Mobility and Firm Performance By Jarkko Harju; Toni Juuti; Tuomas Matikka
  3. Unlocking Economic Potential: A Review of University Entrepreneurial Ecosystems and Spin-offs within the New Zealand Context By Mutsamwira, Sam
  4. Unlocking Opportunities for Workers and Entrepreneurs with a Criminal Record: A speech at the Second-Chance Lending Forum, Developing Evidence-Based Policy on Creditworthiness and Criminal History, Washington, D.C., September 01, 2026 By Michael S. Barr
  1. By: Toni Juuti
    Abstract: I explore the origins of the positive association between socio-economic background and entrepreneurship. Using Finnish administrative data, I show that children from the top 1% of the parental income distribution are more than five times as likely to become business owners and almost three times as likely to become “real entrepreneurs”, who found new firms, as those from the bottom 50%. Similar patterns appear when using parental wealth instead of income, though the effects are somewhat smaller in magnitude. The strongest channel behind the over-representation of entrepreneurs from high-income families is prior experience of business ownership before founding new firms. I rationalize this finding by developing an “ownership ladder” model, where entrepreneurship is the second step on the ladder, and parental resources are associated with people stepping onto that ladder early. Furthermore, there are distinctive differences in the industries of the new firms by entrepreneurs’ parental background, which suggests that coming from prosperous origins is positively associated with human capital that provides entrepreneurial opportunities. The socio-economic background of entrepreneurs appears only weakly related to the initial equity of new firms, suggesting that liquidity constraints are not especially important. Nor can the selection pattern be explained by income shifting or shell companies. The performance of firms and the personal income development of entrepreneurs differ only slightly by socio-economic background. However, since business owners and entrepreneurs tend to earn much more than wage earners or the unincorporated self-employed, the highly non-linear selection patterns have major implications for intergenerational income mobility.
    Keywords: entrepreneurship, socio-economic background
    JEL: G51 J24 L26
    Date: 2026–03–19
    URL: https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pst:wpaper:360
  2. By: Jarkko Harju; Toni Juuti; Tuomas Matikka
    Abstract: Using full-population data from Finland, we show that individuals at the top of the income distribution are significantly more likely to start new incorporated businesses. High-income earners also establish more successful and productive businesses than others. In contrast, parental income is not linked with selection into new entrepreneurship or firm-level outcomes. We find that income gains from entrepreneurship are rather similar across individual and parental characteristics, and that entrepreneurship is associated with upward income mobility regardless of initial income levels. Overall, our findings suggest that entrepreneurship can serve as an upward economic ladder for individuals from diverse backgrounds.
    Keywords: entrepreneurship, income mobility, productivity
    JEL: L26 J24 J3
    Date: 2026–01–15
    URL: https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pst:wpaper:358
  3. By: Mutsamwira, Sam
    Abstract: This review synthesises the literature on university entrepreneurial ecosystems to understand their role in fostering university spin-off companies as drivers of economic development. This study adopts a systematised conceptual literature review design, employing a structured search and thematic synthesis to develop an integrative conceptual framework that positions university entrepreneurial ecosystems as a dynamic interplay between internal (e.g. university leadership, faculty) and external (e.g. government, venture capitalists) stakeholders. The framework identifies knowledge spillover and transfer as key mediating processes, and highlights intellectual property frameworks and mechanisms (e.g. university IP policy, legal system) as a critical moderator that can either enable or constrain academic entrepreneurship, and subsequently spin-off formation. Applying this lens to New Zealand, a paradoxical situation was uncovered: while home to a recognised “emerging world leading” university entrepreneurial ecosystem, there is a significant paucity of recent, system-wide academic research. Key gaps are identified, including the need for longitudinal data on spin-offs performances, and a deeper understanding of internal ecosystem dynamics like the critical imperative to integrate Mātauranga Māori (Māori traditional knowledge) into commercialisation pathways. This review provides a foundation for future empirical research and offers insights for policymakers and university leaders in New Zealand and other small, innovative economies.
    Keywords: University entrepreneurial ecosystems; Academic entrepreneurship; University spin-offs; Technology transfer; Knowledge spillovers; Intellectual property frameworks; Innovation systems; Research commercialisation; Stakeholder dynamics; Regional innovation; Higher education and innovation;Māori traditional knowledge; Mātauranga Māori; New Zealand innovation policy
    JEL: I23 I25 K11 L26 M13 O25 O3 R58
    Date: 2025–10
    URL: https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:128327
  4. By: Michael S. Barr
    Date: 2026–09–01
    URL: https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fip:fedgsq:103724
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