Accounting and Finance Literacy and Entrepreneurship: an Exploratory Study

The aim of this study is to investigate whether the level of financial literacy differs significantly among entrepreneurs in three European countries: Italy, Spain, and the UK. Moreover, I analyze whether financial literacy fosters or hinders entrepreneurial resilience and success. I find that the l...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autor: Trombetta, Marco
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2023
País:España
Institución:IE
Repositorio:Repositorio IE
OAI Identifier:oai:repositorio.ie.edu:20.500.14417/3775
Acceso en línea:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaccpubpol.2023.107078
https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14417/3775
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:53 Ciencias Económicas
ODS 3 - Salud y bienestar
ODS 1 - Fin de la pobreza
ODS 10 - Reducción de las desigualdades
Descripción
Sumario:The aim of this study is to investigate whether the level of financial literacy differs significantly among entrepreneurs in three European countries: Italy, Spain, and the UK. Moreover, I analyze whether financial literacy fosters or hinders entrepreneurial resilience and success. I find that the level of basic financial literacy is significantly lower among entrepreneurs in the UK. I provide an explanation based on job opportunities arguing that basic financial literacy increases the chances of survival of a business, whereas advanced financial literacy decreases it. I propose a taxonomy linking levels of financial literacy with different approaches to financial management. I conclude that a “conservative” approach to financial management (cash based, debt-averse and diversified) is more likely to guarantee survival even if it is not necessarily the best way to maximize firm value.