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Abstract:
We evaluate the impact of participation in an entrepreneurship education program during university on subsequent entrepreneurial activity by comparing career decisions between program participants and the best applicants not accepted to the program using a regression discontinuity design. We find that program participation increases both founding rates and several indicators of startup quality. The effect on founding rates is visible for several years after the program. Even when program participants do not found, they are more likely to select into careers related to entrepreneurship. The study also finds that the interview process can identify students more apt to build higher quality startups, but not who is more likely to found. Participating in the program, however, appears to ‘level the playing field’ for participants to a degree where the original interview scores lose their explanatory power. Overall, the study suggests a strong positive causal effect between program participation and the measured outcome variables.
