Parents' Performance in Entrepreneurship as a 'Double-Edged Sword' for the Intergenerational Transmission of Entrepreneurship

We investigate how perceived parents’ performance in entrepreneurship (PPE) affects the entrepreneurial career intentions of offspring. We argue that while perceived PPE enhances offspring’s perceived entrepreneurial desirability and feasibility because of exposure mechanisms, it inhibits the translation of both desirability and feasibility perceptions into entrepreneurial career intentions due to upward social comparison mechanisms. Thus, perceived PPE acts as a double-edged sword for the intergenerational transmission of entrepreneurship. Our predictions are tested and confirmed on a sample of 21,895 individuals from 33 countries. This study advances the literature on intergenerational transmission of entrepreneurship by providing a foundation for understanding the social psychological conditions necessary for such transmission to occur.

Keywords: Intergenerational Transmission of Entrepreneurship, Parents' Performance in Entrepreneurship, Entrepreneurial Career Intention, Social Comparison Theory, Perceived Desirability, Perceived Feasibility

JEL Classification: L26, M13, C12, D01, J13, J62

Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation

Criaco, Giuseppe and Sieger, Philipp and Wennberg, Karl and Chirico, Francesco and Chirico, Francesco and Minola, Tommaso, Parents' Performance in Entrepreneurship as a 'Double-Edged Sword' for the Intergenerational Transmission of Entrepreneurship (May 4, 2017). Small Business Economics, Forthcoming, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2962860