Promoting entrepreneurship, what is the influence of knowledge in the development of entrepreneurial intentions?

There is an extended interest among governmental institutions and agencies to promote entrepreneurship. Global initiatives such as the "Global Entrepreneurship Monitor - GEM" serve as benchmarking tools for policies and to analyze the changes in entrepreneurial behavior with a cross-country perspective. Despite the blatant governmental endeavors to develop and entrepreneurial culture it still remains unclear the influence of policies such as entrepreneurial education in citizens’ entrepreneurial behavior (Shane 2010). Further research could provide information for improved clear-cut policies to sponsor entrepreneurship development.

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Entrepreneurship research has studied entrepreneurial intentions as the precursor of entrepreneurial behavior (Fayolle et al. 2006), as intentions are seen to be the best predictor of a future behavior (Ajzen 1991). In the last years, significant advances have been done to develop models and measurement instruments to understand the variables that influence entrepreneurial intentions; for example the introduction of Ajzen's (1991) "Theory of Planned Behavior" as a conceptual framework to study entrepreneurial behavior. The La Salle Innova Institute is currently involved in a research project that aims to shed some light on untested constructs that influence individuals’ perceptions and intentions to engage in entrepreneurial behavior. We are building on the idea that individual's prior knowledge influences the identification of business opportunities (Shane 2000; Garcia 2009), to explore whether it can also be a factor to explain differences in individuals intentions to start a firm. Has exposure to entrepreneurial education modified your perspective on becoming an entrepreneur? Do you see unexploited business opportunities in your industry? What deters you from getting involved in an entrepreneurial career? References:

• Ajzen, I., 1991. The theory of planned behavior. Organizational behavior and human decision, 50(2), pp.179-211. Available at: http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/074959789190020T.
• Fayolle, A., Gailly, B. & Lassas-Clerc, N., 2006. Assessing the impact of entrepreneurship education programmes: a new methodology. Journal of European Industrial Training, 30(9), pp.701-720. Available at: http://www.emeraldinsight.com/10.1108/03090590610715022.
• Garcia, R., 2009. El conocimiento a priori de los individuos y la identificación de las oportunidades de emprendeduría: el papel complementario del conocimiento de negocio y el conocimiento emprendedor. Advanced Studies Diploma (DEA), La Salle – Ramon Llull University.
• Shane, S., 2000. Prior knowledge and the discovery of entrepreneurial opportunities. Organization Science, 25(1), p.448–469. Available at: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2640414.
• Shane, S.A., 2010. Stop Trying to Turn the Unemployed into Entrepreneurs. Small Business Trends. Available at: http://bit.ly/crNJeq. Last accessed: 11/11/2010.