Essays on Entrepreneurship in Ecuador: Assessing nonpecuniary effects of access to credit for heterogeneous entrepreneurs

Abstract

This thesis aims to provide empirical evidence about heterogeneity among entrepreneurs and to explore more in depth the multidimensional concept of entrepreneurship in Ecuador. The thesis is structure in four empirical chapters. Chapter I provides an empirical framework to explore heterogeneity among enterprises and shows that microenterprises in Ecuador are highly heterogeneous. Chapter II explore the presence of mission-drift and trade-offs between social and financial. The results show vary depending on the type of microfinance institution. Chapter III explores gender differences among female and male entrepreneurs in the work-family interface. This chapter shows that female and male entrepreneurs make mostly autonomous entrepreneurial decision-making and are more likely to share decisions about household allocation resources but gender differences appear in decision-making over childbearing and child-rearing. Finally, Chapter IV includes the effect of access to credit over the satisfaction with life of entrepreneurs and shows that having access to a credit has a positive but modest effect of the life satisfaction of entrepreneurs but heterogeneity among female entrepreneurs mask the effects of microcredit programs.