Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/215244 
Year of Publication: 
2019
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 12848
Publisher: 
Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), Bonn
Abstract: 
Can large-scale peer interaction foster entrepreneurship and innovation? We conducted an RCT involving almost 5,000 entrepreneurs from 49 African countries. All were enrolled in an online business course, and the treatment involved random assignment to either face-to-face or virtual (Internet-mediated) interaction. We find positive treatment effects on both the submission of business plans and their quality, provided interaction displays some intermediate diversity. Network effects are also significant on both outcomes, although diversity plays a different role for each. This shows that effective peer interaction can be feasibly implemented quite broadly but must also be designed carefully, in view of the pursued objectives.
Subjects: 
social networks
peer effects
entrepreneurship
innovation
semantic analysis
JEL: 
C93
D04
D85
O12
O31
O35
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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