Socialist Heritage and the Opinion on Entrepreneurs: Micro-Level Evidence from Europe

Abstract

What factors shape an individual’s opinion on entrepreneurs? How do these factors differ across countries? This paper analyzes the relationship between socialist history and individuals’ opinions on entrepreneurs. Using a large-scale micro-level dataset from 30 European countries, we find that individuals from countries with a socialist history have a more negative opinion on entrepreneurs. This negative effect is less pronounced for individuals that are younger, better educated and have self-employed parents. Our paper makes two contributions: First, it provides empirical evidence on the determinants of individuals’ opinion on entrepreneurs. Second, it contributes to the understanding of entrepreneurship in former socialist countries.

Keywords: Opinion on entrepreneurs, socialist heritage, multi-level regression, attitude towards entrepreneurs

JEL Classification: L26, N34, P20, C31