Whither a flat ladscape? Regional differences in Entrepreneurship in the Netherlands

Abstract

In this paper we contribute to the set of studies that focus on explanations of regional differences in entrepreneurship by taking into account the entrepreneurial processes at the individual level. We investigate entrepreneurial attitudes and entrepreneurial activity in three contrasting labour market regions in the Netherlands in two stages. In the first stage we extensively explore regional differences in entrepreneurial activity by looking at several types of entrepreneurs and phases in the entrepreneurial process. In the second stage we investigate to what extent the observed regional differences in perceptions to entrepreneurship and involvement in entrepreneurial activity change when controlling for determinants at the individual level. We find that the observed regional differences in levels of early-stage entrepreneurial activity can to large extent be explained by these individual characteristics. Furthermore we find the regional pattern of overall early-stage entrepreneurial activity to be different from the pattern of ambitious early-stage entrepreneurial activity.