Measuring Entrepreneurship in Developing Countries

By Desai, Sameeksha

This paper discusses the difficulties associated with measuring entrepreneurship in developing countries. Three important dichotomies in the research on entrepreneurship are discussed: formal-informal, legal-illegal, and necessity-opportunity.

Several common measures of entrepreneurship are outlined along with their relevance to developing countries, including self-employment, Global Entrepreneurship Monitor data, World Bank Group Entrepreneurship Survey data and OECD data.

The implications of the current understanding of entrepreneurship are discussed with respect to institutions and economic development.

Keywords: entrepreneurship, economic development, data, institutions

URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:unu:wpaper:rp2009-10&r=dev