Does entrepreneurship education impact individuals' entrepreneurial propensity? A pre- and post-program setting

Abstract

The existing body of literature on entrepreneurship claims that becoming an entrepreneur can be learned. However, the study regarding the impact of entrepreneurship education on entrepreneurial propensity in the context of transition countries has not received adequate attention from scholars. This paper aims to explore this relationship in little-studied case of Albania. The research is based on human capital theory, and its analysis is administered on an individual-level data collection through a face-to-face survey. A quasi-experimental research design is employed based on the comparison of individuals who attended an entrepreneurship programme (treated group) and those who did not (control groups). Individuals scored on entrepreneurial propensity before and after they were introduced to entrepreneurship education leading to the use of a pre- and post-program setting. Data were collected from across eight key Albanian regions (a total of 528 individuals with treated and control groups composed of 200 and 328 individuals respectively). Propensity score matching was applied to achieve the comparison of both treated and control groups, with the sample size being reduced to 392 individuals (196 individuals per each group). Paired-samples t-test was performed to explore the impact of entrepreneurship education programme on an individual's entrepreneurial propensity. The current research found that entrepreneurship education programme impacts an individual's intention to become an entrepreneur, a finding which is consistent with previous studies administered in advanced economies. Therefore, attending a study programme in entrepreneurship leads to far better chances for an individual to engage in start-up activities in the future. The current study is confined to just one transition country. Although Albania may share similar economic and institutional conditions as other transition economies, the generalization of findings can be rather limited in the context of other countries. This paper contributes by applying propensity score matching in a pre- and post-program setting which makes the comparison of control and treated groups possible. It also advances the theoretical and practical understanding of the relationship between entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial propensity in the context of a transition country. Firstly, this article follows a rigorous methodological approach which ensures that comparison of two groups. Secondly, it brings evidence from post-communist transition Albania. It is of particular interest to see whether the relationship between entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial propensity is conformed even for transition countries or not. © Proceedings of the 14th European Conference on Innovation and Entrepreneurship, ECIE 2019. All rights reserved.