Local Institutional Profile and Entrepreneurial Intention

Abstract

We investigate the local institutional determinants of entrepreneurial intention. First, we advance a conceptual model based on the theory of planned behavior and on institutional theory. In our model, local government policies, regional shared social knowledge and local value systems affect cognition of individuals with regard to entrepreneurial intention. We then test our model using structural equation modeling (SEM) based on a survey of 2,150 respondents in Brazil. This country is particularly interesting for the analysis since it presents a continental dimension, being formed by five regions with different geographic, economic and social characteristics, as well as distinct cultural heritages. Our regression models corroborate our hypotheses, which open up new venues for future research.