Institutional Theory and Contextual Embeddedness of Women's Entrepreneurial Leadership: Evidence from 92 Countries

Abstract

Building on research, we develop a multi‐level framework that draws on the notion of the contextual embeddedness of entrepreneurship and institutional theory. We examine the mediating role of the vision for women's entrepreneurship (VWE) on the relationship between the regulatory, normative and cognitive pillars of institutional theory and women's entrepreneurial leadership (WEL) in 92 countries. Results suggest that the institutional pillars influence VWE. Regulatory institutions, entrepreneurial cognitions, and entrepreneurial norms have a direct and an indirect effect (through VWE) on WEL.

Notes

1. GERA is the largest ongoing research consortium collecting individual‐ and national‐level data on the incidence, determinants, and outcomes of entrepreneurial activity since 1999 (Minniti, Bygrave, and Autio 2006). GEM collects data from two sources: (1) the adult population survey (APS) and (2) the national expert survey (NES). The NES‐questionnaire includes standardized measures of experts' (entrepreneurs, consultants, academics, politicians) perceptions of their country's entrepreneurial framework conditions and the institutional environment for entrepreneurship. The country experts in the NES‐survey have a substantial knowledge of entrepreneurship‐related issues (Reynolds et al. 2001).

2. We thank the anonymous reviewer for this insight.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Shumaila Y. Yousafzai

Shumaila Y. Yousafzai is senior lecturer of Strategy in the Cardiff Business School at the Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK.

Saadat Saeed

Saadat Saeed is lecturer of Entrepreneurship in the Essex Business School at the Essex University, Essex, UK.

Moreno Muffatto

Moreno Muffatto is professor of Entrepreneurship in the School of Entrepreneurship at the University of Padova, Padova, Italy.