Drivers of urban entrepreneurship: an integrative model

Purpose Successful new venture creation may be one solution to many of the economic problems that affect the mostly minority populations that live in US inner cities. This paper sets out to develop a model and a set of research questions that may help increase understanding of African‐American entrepreneurship. Design/methodology/approach This paper provides an integrated review of the literature from the USA and Europe pertaining to minority entrepreneurial behavior and achievement. It identifies challenges faced by African‐American urban entrepreneurs and suggests a set of interventions that can enhance entrepreneurial success in the inner cities. The paper then poses a set of research questions with a particular focus on African‐Americans and presents an integrative model that can serve as a framework to examine these questions. Findings The model posits that motivation and skills drive entrepreneurial behavior and that availability of resources has a moderating effect on both entrepreneurial behavior and achievement. In addition to explaining entrepreneurship in general, the proposed model also suggests that specific variables may work differently for different subcultures. Practical implications If this model is supported by empirical evidence, it will have significant implications for formulating appropriate interventions that would enable the successful start‐up and management of new business ventures in different subcultures. It will be of value to cities in the USA, Europe and elsewhere that have large minority populations, and can better inform programs that impart entrepreneurial skills and training. Originality/value This paper adds to the growing literature that recognizes that the drivers of entrepreneurial pursuit are frequently embedded in culture. While this has been studied cross‐nationally, few studies examine this aspect within a heterogeneous society.