The Curious Relationship Between Military Service and Entrepreneurial Intentions in Israel

Abstract

Our research, based on a sample of 500 veterans currently studying at Israeli colleges and universities, suggests that certain aspects of military service are associated with greater entrepreneurial intentions. Specifically, the desire to engage in entrepreneurship is higher among veterans with command experience than veterans without. Similarly, veterans of technological units generally express greater entrepreneurial interest than veterans of combat units. A comparison of commissioned and noncommissioned officers yields curious results and offers a possible direction for further investigation. Although Israel is among the few countries that maintains a mandatory draft, the general applicability of these findings to countries with volunteer forces is discussed.

The Role of Entrepreneurship Policy in College Students’ Entrepreneurial Intention: The Intermediary Role of Entrepreneurial Practice and Entrepreneurial Spirit

“…Particular skills and experiences also affect entrepreneurship. Polin and Ehrman (2018) studied 500 veterans enrolled at Israeli universities and found that those with command experience were more willing to engage in entrepreneurship. Moreover, veterans from technological units usually showed greater interest in entrepreneurship than those from combat units.…”

The militarized workplace: How organizational culture perpetuates gender inequality in Korea

“…This begs the question of the applicability of the concept of workplace militarization in other contexts wherever relevant, particularly in countries that still practice conscription (e.g., Israel, Turkey) or experience legacies of military rule (e.g., Japan). In Israel, for instance, it is well known that military experience cultivates human, social, and cultural capital that is exported to and highly appreciated in the work sphere, especially in the hi‐tech sector, a deeply masculine environment (Honig et al., 2006; Polin & Ehrman, 2020; Swed & Butler, 2015). Yet whether and how the authority relations and organizational culture are militarized is unclear.…”