Entrepreneurship Amid Concurrent Institutional Constraints in Less Developed Countries
Business & Society: Founded at Roosevelt University
Published online on January 12, 2015
Abstract
To encourage new research on the role of institutions in the entrepreneurial process in less developed countries (LDCs), the authors propose a conceptual framework to investigate concurrent institutional constraints. The authors define these constraints as geopolitical contexts that encounter simultaneous challenges to well functioning formal and informal institutions. Systems of stronger institutions compensating for weaker institutions are hampered in these settings and such systems weigh heavier on local entrepreneurs and further challenge their ability to mobilize resources and access market opportunities. By investigating the extreme operating conditions of these settings, scholars gain a deeper understanding of how entrepreneurs confront operational dilemmas and express agency through engaging with bricolage and cultural entrepreneurship. To animate these proposals, the authors consider a case illustration of a venture operating under such constraints.