Individual Characteristics, Contextual Factors and Entrepreneurial Behavior

This thesis is concerned with entrepreneurship in general, and innovative entrepreneurship in particular. It contributes to three main developments in the field of entrepreneurship: sub-groups of entrepreneurs, the role of start-up motivations and the role of contextual factors in shaping entrepreneurial behavior. This thesis is concerned with the entrepreneurial entry of individuals with different labor market statuses (Chapter 2) and the conditions that determine whether someone is involved in one type of entrepreneurial activity instead of another (i.e., innovation versus imitation) (Chapters 3, 4 and 5). Overall, this thesis contributes to a better understanding of determinants of entrepreneurial entry and innovative entrepreneurship at various levels of analysis.