TY - UNPB

T1 - The impact of soft-skills training for entrepreneurs in Jamaica

AU - Ubfal, Diego

AU - Arráiz, Irani

AU - Beuermann, Diether W.

AU - Frese, Michael

AU - Maffioli, Alessandro

AU - Verch, Daniel

PY - 2019/4/1

Y1 - 2019/4/1

N2 - A randomized control trial with 945 entrepreneurs in Jamaica shows positive shorttermimpacts of soft-skills training on business outcomes. The effects are concentrated among men, and disappear twelve months after the training. We argue that the main channel is increased adoption of recommended business practices, exclusively observed in the short run. We see persistent effects on an incentivized behavioral measure of perseverance after setbacks, a focus of this training. We compare a course focused only on soft-skills to one that combines soft-skills training with traditional business training. The effects of the combined training are never statistically significant.

AB - A randomized control trial with 945 entrepreneurs in Jamaica shows positive shorttermimpacts of soft-skills training on business outcomes. The effects are concentrated among men, and disappear twelve months after the training. We argue that the main channel is increased adoption of recommended business practices, exclusively observed in the short run. We see persistent effects on an incentivized behavioral measure of perseverance after setbacks, a focus of this training. We compare a course focused only on soft-skills to one that combines soft-skills training with traditional business training. The effects of the combined training are never statistically significant.

KW - Business Training

KW - Entrepreneurship

KW - Soft skills

KW - J24, L25, M13, O12

KW - Management studies

KW - Business psychology

M3 - Working papers

T3 - IZA Discussion Paper Series

BT - The impact of soft-skills training for entrepreneurs in Jamaica

PB - IZA - Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit

CY - Bonn

ER -