Entrepreneurship education, institutions and student entrepreneurship: a cross-country analysis

Although the effect of entrepreneurship education (EE) on student entrepreneurial behaviour is well documented, the institutional context within which EE and student entrepreneurship interact remains overlooked. Understanding this context is critical since the prevalence of student start-ups is determined by factors from both internal and external university environments. Drawing from institutional theory, this research examined the effect of EE on the rates of student entrepreneurship, particularly how this relationship is moderated by formal and informal institutions. Analysing 67 country samples in 2014 and 2016, we found that high-level EE, and an entrepreneurial culture are factors that spur student start-ups. In addition, two important findings are revealed in this study: 1) EE is impactful to students when taught at a high, not basic, level; and 2) informal institutions have a stronger influence on student entrepreneurship than formal institutions.