An Empirical Study of the Role of Entrepreneurship in Zambia’s Economic Growth (1990-2023)

Authors

  • Austin Mwange The University of Zambia, Graduate School of Business, Lusaka, Zambia Author
  • Windu Matoka ZCAS University, School of Business, Lusaka, Zambia Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.59413/eafj/v3.i2.10

Keywords:

Entrepreneurship, Economic Growth, TEA rate (Total Early-stage Entrepreneurial Activity), ARDL regression model, Granger causality, Sustainable economic development, Macro-economic environment, Unemployment rate, Inflation, Zambia

Abstract

Entrepreneurship has been recently considered a vital ingredient for stimulating economic growth in most emerging economies. The empirical study investigated the role of entrepreneurship in Zambia’s economic growth. The study utilized secondary annual data for the period from 1990 to 2023. Data was analysed using ARDL regression, granger causality and co-integration test. The results revealed a significant positive long-run relationship between economic growth and entrepreneurship. The study further revealed a uni-directional causality running from entrepreneurship to economic growth. The study concluded that entrepreneurship represents a catalyst for boosting economic growth of Zambia. The research therefore recommended for policymakers including the government of the Republic of Zambia to emphasize on policies which promote innovative entrepreneurial activities in Zambia in order to achieve sustainable economic growth. The study made significant contributions to theory and policy.

References

Almodóvar-González, M., Fernández-Portillo, A., & Díaz-Casero, J. C. (2020). Entrepreneurial activity and economic growth. A multi-country analysis. European research on management and business economics, 26(1), 9-17. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iedeen.2019.12.004

Biltagy, M., Mahrous, M., Said, M., & Kamel, M. (2017). Entrepreneurship, Unemployment and Economic Growth: Evidence from Egypt. Journal of Applied Economic Sciences, 12(7), 1984-1995.

Choongo, P., Eijdenberg, E. L., Chabala, M., Lungu, J., & Taylor, T. K. (2020). The evolution of urban entrepreneurship in Zambia. Urban studies and entrepreneurship, 1(1), 249-269. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-15164-5_13

Gaba, A.K., & Gaba, N. (2022). Entrepreneurial activity and economic growth of BRICS countries: retrospect and prospects. J. Entrep., 31(2), 402–424. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/09713557221097160

Gautam, S., & Lal, M. (2021). Entrepreneurship and economic growth: Evidence from G-20 economies. Journal of East-West Business, 27(2), 140-159. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10669868.2020.1859427

Government of Zambia (2022). Eighth National Development Plan 2022-2026. [online]. Available at: https://www.sh.gov.zm/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/eighth-national-development-plan-2022-2026-05-07-2022.pdf [Accessed 10 November 2024].

Henrekson, M., Johansson, D., & Karlsson, J. (2021). To be or not to be: The entrepreneur in endogenous growth theory. IFN Working Paper, No. 1385, Research Institute of Industrial Economics (IFN), Stockholm. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3822341

Ivanović-Đukić, M., Rađenović, T., & Talić, M. (2021). Innovative Entrepreneurship and Economic Growth in Emerging Markets. Ekonomika, 67(4), 55-64. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5937/ekonomika2104065I

Kazhila, S. (2024). Analysis of the effects of environmental entrepreneurship on sustainable development among small medium enterprises in Zambia: a case of Lusaka central business district (CBD) (Doctoral dissertation, The University of Zambia).

Kim, J., Castillejos-Petalcorin, C., Jinjarak, Y., Park, D., Quising, P., & Tian, S. (2022). Entrepreneurship and economic growth: A cross-sectional analysis perspective (No. 672). ADB Economics Working Paper Series. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22617/WPS220399-2

Lewis, W. A. (2018) Theory of economic growth. 3rd edn. London: Routledge.

Lucas, D. S., & Fuller, C. S. (2017). Entrepreneurship: Productive, unproductive, and destructive—Relative to what? Journal of Business Venturing Insights, 7, 45-49. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbvi.2017.03.001

Mankiw, N. G. (2020) Principles of macroeconomics. 12th ed. Thompson: South-Western Cengage.

Mankiw, N. G., & Taylor, M. P. (2020). Economics. Cengage Learning EMEA.

Mathibe, M., & Oppong, C. (2024). Sustainable entrepreneurship: A catalyst for unemployment reduction and economic growth in Anglophone and Francophone countries. Business Strategy & Development, 7(2), 362-372. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/bsd2.362

Mphuka, C., Kaonga, O., & Tembo, M. A. (2022). Economic growth, inequality, and poverty: Estimating the growth elasticity of poverty in Zambia, 2006–2015. In Inequality in Zambia (pp. 83-119). Routledge. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003241027-8

Munyo, I., & Veiga, L. (2024). Entrepreneurship and economic growth. Journal of the Knowledge Economy, 15(1), 319-336. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13132-022-01032-8

Musara, M. (2020). Entrepreneurial activity for economic growth and unemployment reduction in South Africa. International Journal of Entrepreneurship, 24(2), 1-7.

Nwagu, N. B., & Enofe, E. E. (2021). The impact of entrepreneurship on the economic growth of an economy: An overview. Journal of Emerging Trends in Economics and Management Sciences, 12(4), 143-149.

Ojapinwa, T. V. (2021). Entrepreneurship, Economic Growth and Unemployment Reduction in Sub-Saharan Africa. Journal of Academic Research in Economics (JARE), 13(1), 30-56.

Ordeñana, X., Vera-Gilces, P., Zambrano-Vera, J., & Jiménez, A. (2024). The effect of high-growth and innovative entrepreneurship on economic growth. Journal of Business Research, 171, 114243-114253. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2023.114243

Peprah, A. A., & Adekoya, A. F. (2020). Entrepreneurship and economic growth in developing countries: Evidence from Africa. Business Strategy & Development, 3(3), 388-394. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/bsd2.104

Pradhan, R. P., Arvin, M. B., Nair, M., & Bennett, S. E. (2020). The dynamics among entrepreneurship, innovation, and economic growth in the Eurozone countries. Journal of Policy Modeling, 42(5), 1106-1122. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpolmod.2020.01.004

Schumpeter, J. A. (1911). The theory of economic development. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University.

Schumpeter, J. A., & Swedberg, R. (2021). The theory of economic development. London: Routledge. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003146766

Shrestha, N. (2020). Detecting multicollinearity in regression analysis. American Journal of Applied Mathematics and Statistics, 8(2), 39-42. DOI: https://doi.org/10.12691/ajams-8-2-1

Spash, C. L. (2021) The economy as if people mattered: revisiting critiques of economic growth in a time of crisis. Globalizations, 18(7), 1087-1104. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14747731.2020.1761612

Stoica, O., Roman, A., & Rusu, V. D. (2020). The nexus between entrepreneurship and economic growth: A comparative analysis on groups of countries. Sustainability, 12(3), 1186-1204. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/su12031186

Tahir, M., & Burki, U. (2023). Entrepreneurship and economic growth: Evidence from the emerging BRICS economies. Journal of Open Innovation: Technology, Market, and Complexity, 9(2), 88-98. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joitmc.2023.100088

Todaro, M. P., & Smith, S. C. (2020). Economic development. Pearson UK.

Zambia Statistics Agency (2023). Economic Statistics. [online]. Available at: https://www.zamstats.gov.zm/economic-statistics/ [Accessed 10 November 2024].

Downloads

Published

2024-12-13

How to Cite

Mwange, A. ., & Matoka, W. . (2024). An Empirical Study of the Role of Entrepreneurship in Zambia’s Economic Growth (1990-2023). East African Finance Journal, 3(2), 278-294. https://doi.org/10.59413/eafj/v3.i2.10

Article PlumX Metrics

PlumX Metrics

Similar Articles

1-10 of 38

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.