Is entrepreneurship a function of individual factors, regional factors, or both?

Several scholars have argued in favour of multi-level and interdisciplinary approaches to entrepreneurship research. Following these recommendations the present survey examines the effect of individual as well as regional characteristics on entrepreneurship intentions, efforts and actual new business start-ups. Data on individual characteristics, entrepreneurial intentions and efforts were collected from a sample of 9,533 adult Norwegians in 1996. Respondents identified in the screening interview as possible nascent entrepreneurs were interviewed again in 1996, 1997 and 1999 about the activities they had carried out to start a business and the current status of the planned venture. Secondary data from the 435 municipalities in Norway were obtained from Statistics Norway, the country's central institution for producing official statistics. The results show that individual characteristics, particularly current entrepreneurial experience, are strong predictors of entrepreneurship intentions, efforts, and actual business start-ups. Regional characteristics are found to have little or no influence on the business start-up proce