What is the Importance of Context in Entrepreneurship Research?

Abstract information

Fieldwork has demonstrated that entrepreneurial behavior and economic theory do not work in the same ways in different national, cultural or regulatory contexts. In this video, FRIEDERIKE WELTER analyzes the importance of context in entrepreneurship research. Developing an interdisciplinary approach that draws on insights from philosophy, anthropology, ethnology, and linguistics, Welter examines how contextual issues have been addressed in these fields. With relevance for entrepreneurship education and research as well as for policymakers, Welter’s work highlights the importance of developing a process view of how entrepreneurship is contextualized.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21036/LTPUB10684

Researcher

Friederike Welter is Professor of SME Management and Entrepreneurship at the University of Siegen and President of the IfM (Institut für Mittelstandsforschung) in Bonn. Formerly Professor and Associate Dean of Research at Jönköping International Business School (Sweden), Welter’s main research interests include small business development and entrepreneurship and how those operate in different national and cultural contexts. A former President of the European Council for Small Business and Entrepreneurship, Welter is associate editor of the journal Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice.

Institution information

Institut für Mittelstandsforschung (IfM)

The Institut für Mittelstandsforschung (IfM) Bonn was established in 1957 as a foundation of private law on the initiative of Ludwig Erhard, then Minister of Economic Affairs (and later German Chancellor). Founders are the Federal Republic of Germany and the Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia. The institute's task is to analyse the status-quo, development and problems of Mittelstand companies and small and medium-sized enterprises, to develop recommendations for SME policies and to disseminate its research results to the general public.

Institut für Mittelstandsforschung (IfM)

Original Publication

Contextual Entrepreneurship: An Interdisciplinary Perspective

Ted Baker

,

Friederike Welter

Published in 2018