Attracting the entrepreneurial potential: A multilevel institutional approach
研究非正式制度如何在不同国家中影响那些有技能但无创业意愿的人群的创业潜力，发现国家层面的非正式制度能弥补个体层面因素的不足。
The research on institutions’ role in entrepreneurship acknowledges that formal and informal institutions matter. However, previous research has stressed less the co-existence and interaction between individual- and country-level factors that shape entrepreneurial potential, population of skillful individuals with no entrepreneurial intentions, across countries. In this study, we investigate the multilevel influence of informal institutions on entrepreneurial potential. Drawing from institutional theory and multilevel approach in a sample of 880,576 individuals for the period 2006–2016, we find that the informal country-level institutional forces compensate the lack of individual-level factors among those with low entrepreneurial potential. For instance, media coverage on entrepreneurship or education can enhance the entrepreneurial potential in its lower end. Hence, our findings provide novel evidence on the relevance and interaction of the informal institutions, and how they increase the entrepreneurial potential across countries. Our findings suggest policy implications regarding educational programs to close the gap between entrepreneurially skilled non-potential and skilled potential individuals.