Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Identifier

1167

Yan Shen

Date

2014

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Major

Sociology

Committee Chair

Junmin Wang

Committee Member

Wanda Rushing

Committee Member

Martin Levin

Abstract

The current literature on economic sociology and organizational studies demonstrates the positive role of entrepreneurs’ social capital in enhancing firm performance. However, it offers limited knowledge about how entrepreneurs’ social capital is mediated and shaped by the institutional contexts where they go about their business activities. By analyzing the 2003 World Bank Investment Climate Survey dataset, I examine how entrepreneurs’ social and political capital, separately and jointly, shape firm outcomes in China. I find that entrepreneurs’ social capital has positive effects on firms’ innovativeness. Although a firm’s impersonal political capital is found to have positive effects on firm innovativeness, entrepreneurs’ personal political capital does not play a positive role on firms’ innovativeness. These findings suggest Chinese firms may benefit from investments in social capital and impersonal political capital, but investments in personal political capital may not matter given the increasing modernization and institutionalization of the China’s nascent market.

Comments

Data is provided by the student.

Library Comment

Dissertation or thesis originally submitted to the local University of Memphis Electronic Theses & dissertation (ETD) Repository.

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