Introduction to a Special Issue on Entrepreneurship and Employment: Connecting Labor Market Institutions, Corporate Demography, and Human Resource Management Practices

Abstract

With the growing attention to entrepreneurship as an engine of job creation and economic development, it is important for social scientists who are broadly interested in labor market and employment topics to focus attention on new firms and the policies and practices that surround them. The authors argue that the next generation of scholarship should pay particular attention to labor market institutions, the ecosystem of existing employers, and the human resource management practices that provide the strategic context for entrepreneurs and shape the career opportunities for workers. Remarkable variation occurs across space and time in the prevalence and performance of entrepreneurs. There are also many open questions as to the antecedents and consequences of entrepreneurship, for entrepreneurs, their communities, and their employees. The availability of new administrative data across many countries will allow for comparative cross-national studies and will provide opportunities to bring qualitative and mixed-method approaches to entrepreneurial labor market studies. This introduction and the articles in this special issue offer a path forward.

A quarter‐century review of HRM in small and medium‐sized enterprises: Capturing what we know, exploring where we need to go

“…A stream of research uses institutional theory as a sole theoretical lens to facilitate cross‐national (Gilman & Raby, 2013) or intrasectoral comparisons (Tsai, 2010), or to explore the dynamics of change (Della Torre & Solari, 2013). Most studies focused on limited institutional factors, to the neglect of broader economic, educational, and labor market factors which can inform HRM approaches (Burton et al, 2019). Other studies have combined institutional theory with RBV, the behavioral perspective of strategic management, and open system theory to provide a balanced structure‐agency theoretical lens through which the context of HRM in SMEs can be explored.…”

“…This will be gained through systematic exploration of a wide range of national cultural differences, or with reference to varying institutional regimes such as co‐ordinated verses market economies (a rare example of this type of approach see Khavul et al, 2010). We therefore follow Burton et al (2019) calling for greater recognition of the institutional context framing the HR and employment practices available to, and applied, in SMEs.…”

Entrepreneurial Income and Wellbeing: Women’s Informal Entrepreneurship in a Developing Context

“…In a patriarchal society such as Pakistan, women make economic contributions through informal entrepreneurship and informal entrepreneurship enhances the status of women and their family's wellbeing. Women's entrepreneurship is a method for converting available resources into goods and services while also creating employment opportunities [8,9] and other benefits that will ultimately lead to wealth creation [10] and social empowerment. Informal entrepreneurship is a type of employment where women not only engage in business activities but also provide opportunities and inspiration for other women in their circle.…”

Women’s Home-Based Entrepreneurship and Family Financial Position in Pakistan

“…Women's home-based entrepreneurship has been considered one of the most important drivers of economic growth in developed and developing economies [1,2]. Because of its scope, including work-life interaction and educating children [3], women's entrepreneurship has become a crucial aspect of the socio-economic transformation process [4], particularly in developing countries like Pakistan [5]. Women's entrepreneurship is viewed as a vehicle for converting available resources into valuable goods and services while creating employment opportunities that will ultimately lead to wealth creation [6,7] and social empowerment.…”