Linking Entrepreneurial Infrastructures and New Business Development

Abstract

This research explores the relationship between entrepreneurial infrastructure and new business development in Taiwan. The study develops a concept of entrepreneurial infrastructure and its nine criteria that determine whether new businesses will participate in these networks. Then, it reports on the results of exploratory, in-depth interviews among 40 entrepreneurs in Taiwan. A model was developed based on the interview data. The research results indicate that entrepreneurial infrastructures that are designed to facilitate new business development may reflect biases toward opportunity-motivated rather than necessity-motivated entrepreneurs. The findings generate a suggestion that a different set of policies and entrepreneurial infrastructures are important to support the necessary entrepreneurship development. The research of new business development adds considerable information to the understanding of the relationship between entrepreneurial development, and the decision to participate in entrepreneurial infrastructures.