Entrepreneurial Intent in Latin America: The Case of Mexico, Brazil and Colombia

Global Perspectives on University Students

Nova Science Publishers

Lugar: Nueva York; Año: 2019; p. 201 - 232

In a scheme of the inefficiencies present in the labor market of Latin America a renewed interest in the study of entrepreneurial intent (EI) in the region is evident. In this context, the analysis of the entrepreneurial activity in young people is a clear attraction for policymakers and researchers. For this reason, the main objectives of this research are to analyze the EI of administration students in Colombia, Brazil and Mexico and to identify the relationships between the factors that influence this behavior from the theoretical insights by Ajzen´s Theory of Planned Behavior. In this way, the research contributes to the empirical literature on EI through the application of an analytical, quantitative and qualitative instrument, which allows us to perform comparative analyses among the countries analyzed. This research has a quantitative approach and a correlational scope. The information collection instrument designed by Tarapuez, García and Castellano (2015) was taken and completed through the website www.encuestafacil.com. Qualitative and quantitative data were alternated and triangulated from 1,065 students enrolled in an Administration degree across Mexico (635), Brazil (496) and Colombia (474). The information collected between May and October 2017 was examined through a bivariate analysis and descriptive techniques, using Chi-square (x2) and Pearson?s correlation. Students from Colombia show higher EI than those from Mexico and Brazil; however, it seems that these last two countries have a better institutional environment for entrepreneurship. On the other hand, statistical evidence positively connects a social norm (e.g., it is better to own a company than being an employee) and an attitude (e.g., does not know what company to create) with EI for the three countries analyzed, while no variable in behavior control shows a positive association with EI. Only in the sample of young Brazilians, estimates show statistical evidence to infer that entrepreneurship training is positively associated with EI. Based on the data from the analyzed sample, the conclusion is drawn that the dynamics related to the EI of Administration university students are specific to each country and, consequently, to its culture. In the three nations selected, students enrolled in an Administration degree feel socially pressured to start a business of their own but are not sufficiently clear as to what business they could start.