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Researching the entrepreneurial behaviour of new and existing ventures in European agriculture

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Abstract

This study analyzes differences existing between new and established agri-entrepreneurs as well as differences in relation to their counterparts in non-agricultural ventures. This study uses the resource-based view and institutional economics as conceptual frameworks and focuses on the analysis of the resources and capabilities; entrepreneurial orientation (risk-taking, proactiveness and innovativeness); and legitimation affecting the entrepreneurial process. The literature points out that the specific characteristics of the sector (strong family links and institutional support) can condition the entrepreneurship process. Thus, hypotheses are developed to test these relationships. We use random effects models to test our hypotheses with the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) for 20 European countries. Results show that agri-entrepreneurs have weaker entrepreneurial capabilities than other sectors. However, new entrants into the agricultural sector are not less entrepreneurial in relation to other sectors. On the other hand, established agri-entrepreneurs are less proactive than other sectors. Results suggest that new entrants into agriculture are more entrepreneurially oriented than established ones. Our study contributes to the entrepreneurship literature by contextualizing the entrepreneurship process and providing valuable insights for policy-makers to enhance farmers’ entrepreneurial skills and entrepreneurial orientation.

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Notes

  1. Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, The Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, UK, Croatia, Slovenia, Greece, Austria, Latvia, Czech Republic and Romania.

  2. See Articles 14 and 15 of Regulation (EU) No 1305/2013 of 17 December 2013.

  3. See Articles 50 and 51 of Regulation (EU) No 1307/2013 of 17 December 2013, and Article 19 of Regulation (EU) No 1305/2013 of 17 December 2013.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to the anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments. The authors also acknowledge the financial support from Project AGL2012-39793-C03-01 and AGL2015-65897-C3-1 (Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness); co-financed by FEDER.

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  1. Business Department, Universidad Pública de Navarra, Campus Arrosadia, 31006, Pamplona, Spain

    Emilio Pindado & Mercedes Sánchez

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  1. Emilio Pindado
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Correspondence to Mercedes Sánchez.

APPENDIX

APPENDIX

Table 3 Correlation matrix
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Pindado, E., Sánchez, M. Researching the entrepreneurial behaviour of new and existing ventures in European agriculture. Small Bus Econ 49, 421–444 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11187-017-9837-y

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