Entrepreneurship is no longer the young’s game? a cross-sectional, cross-country study of senior entrepreneurship

Abstract

This thesis investigates the considerable variation in the rate of seniors’ entrepreneurial activity across countries. Building on institutional theory, this research investigates the impact of public expenditures, related to seniors’ health, pension, and education, on their entrepreneurial activity, mediated by the actual outcomes of public expenditures, measured with health status, poverty rate, and educational attainment of seniors. By suggesting that the institutional arrangements might trigger start-ups driven by particular motives (necessity vs. opportunity), this thesis provides new insights into seniors’ participation in entrepreneurial activities empowered by specific institutional factor.