To be or not to be… an entrepreneur. The existence and non-existence of entrepreneurial intention in people with disabilities through qualitative comparative analysis

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to deepen the knowledge of the factors that explain the existence and non-existence of Entrepreneurial Intention (EI) among people with disabilities. To achieve this objective, we integrate resilience and perceived collective efficacy into the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) framework. We collected data from a sample of 235 people with disabilities and examined the variables included in the TPB, as well as the role of resilience and perceived collective efficacy as predictors of EI. To investigate whether these variables help to explain EI among people with disabilities, we used fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis with theory testing. Our findings highlight the complexity of the entrepreneurial journey for people with disabilities. We show that the components of the TPB are essential in shaping the EI of this population. Furthermore, the inclusion of resilience and perceived collective efficacy complements the need for the other two TPB components (perceived behavioral control and subjective norm). Few studies have examined ways to enhance EI in people with disabilities, and even fewer have examined the variables that influence the presence or absence of EI in people with disabilities. Our study contributes to this gap in the literature, and has important implications for policymakers and practitioners working to promote entrepreneurship among people with disabilities.