How Macro, Meso, and Micro Level Contexts Influence Platform Workers' Entrepreneurial Intentions

Abstract

Current research indicates that platform work is a potential springboard to entrepreneurship since platform workers tend to be motivated to start their own businesses. However, the extent to which gig work predicts entrepreneurial intentions for individuals across different countries and contexts is not well understood. This thesis addresses the research gap using three studies to explore how societal norm, neighborhood social capital and job contexts influence the relationship between platform work and entrepreneurial intention. The theoretical framework of the thesis is informed primarily by the theory of planned behavior, institutional theory, social cognitive career theory, and job characteristics theory. These theories collectively shed light on relevant entrepreneurial intention antecedents to explain how macro-level, meso-level, and micro-level contextual factors influence individual-level entrepreneurship. The thesis uses a mix of primary survey data and secondary data from various sources including the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) Adult Population Survey, the Global Leadership Organization and Behavioral Effectiveness (GLOBE) project, the World Bank Development Indicators, and Meta's Social Capital Atlas. It employs various quantitative techniques for hypotheses testing, including multilevel modeling, fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA), and partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Findings from the macro-level study suggest that platform workers across various countries tend to be interested in starting their own business, but this relationship is weakest in countries with high levels of institutional collectivism descriptive norms (i.e., cultural practices). Meanwhile, the meso-level study finds five unique configurations that are associated with high entrepreneurial intention among platform workers, based on a combination of individual and neighborhood factors. Finally, results from the micro-level study indicate that platform workers who perform jobs high in skill variety and task identity and low in task complexity will report stronger entrepreneurial self-efficacy and, through this, stronger entrepreneurial intentions. Together, these findings underscore the importance of context in understanding the relationship between platform work and entrepreneurial intention. With this, the thesis offers several important theoretical, empirical, and practical contributions.