The Effects of a Training Program to Encourage Social Entrepreneurship

Abstract

We use two sequential randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to study the impact of the first two editions of a 12-day intensive training program that cost about 12,000 euros (approx. $14,878) per participant to encourage youth to become leaders in social entrepreneurship. The first edition of the program showed no robust treatment effects. The program was adjusted to reduce leadership training and increase “hard skills” entrepreneurship training. The second edition of the program had treatment effects on entrepreneurial activities and the creation of a new venture during the program, as well as subsequent start-up activity. In both RCTs, participants who had made more entrepreneurial progress before the start of the program made more progress afterward, irre-spective of treatment. Those with the highest pretreatment expectations made the least progress, irrespective of treatment. Training people to learn entrepreneurship seems to be difficult and costly, but repeated field experiments will increase our knowledge of the impact of entrepreneurship training