ICT as the facilitator of entrepreneurial activity : an empirical investigation

Internet and the related information and communications technologies (the ICTs) are profoundly shaping economic transactions of all kinds. They are also expected to open up entrepreneurial opportunities and reduce the competitive advantage of large firms, thus making room for small and young firms. The EU policy makers have already started to introduce policy initiatives for better use of ICT into the actions to support entrepreneurship, such as promoting digital entrepreneurship. At the moment, however, we have scarce empirical evidence about the impact of ICT on entrepreneurial activity. Our study provides such evidence, by investigating the relationship between ICT use and startup rates, using longitudinal industry level data for Slovenia. The results of the regression analysis show that entry rates are higher in industries that are characterized by higher ICT use, thus providing support to the government policy efforts.