Exploring Entrepreneurs’ Motivation: Comparison of Croatia, European Post-socialist and Developed Countries

Abstract

This article explores the entrepreneurial profiles of Croatian entrepreneurs and compares them with the profiles of entrepreneurs of postsocialist and developed European countries. Specifically, logistic regression analysis was used to find the best descriptors of the opportunityand necessity-driven entrepreneurs in Croatia, post-socialist and developed European countries. Results indicate that chances for engaging in opportunity-driven entrepreneurship in Croatia are increasing for men and those who perceive their income level and competencies for running a business as high. The likelihood of engagement in opportunity-driven entrepreneurial activity in the post-socialist context has been related to the age rather than gender and innovations in the product/market matrix or higher export expectations. The developed countries’ datasets reveal that opportunity-driven entrepreneurs have been related to higher expectations of growth through new job openings.