Natural disasters, personal attributes, and social entrepreneurship: an attention-based view

Abstract: Drawing on the attention-based view, we examine how natural disasters and personal attributes jointly influence social entrepreneurship. Using data on 107,386 individuals in 30 countries, we find that natural disaster intensity has a positive effect on social entrepreneurship, and this effect is stronger among men, individuals with less human capital, and for those who fear failure. Our findings extend the natural disasters and entrepreneurship literature to consider the effects on social entrepreneurship, which has been overlooked by the literature. Plain English Summary: This study reports that natural disaster intensity positively affects social entrepreneurship, and this effect is stronger for men, individuals lacking human capital, and those who fear failure. Thus, such groups of individuals may better achieve their goals of creating social values by taking advantage of opportunities provided by natural disasters. Moreover, governments should encourage and support SE in the wake of natural disaster events, especially pay more attention to men, individuals with less human capital, and those who fear failure, to facilitate SE. This will help alleviate social problems caused by natural disasters and ease the government’s workload.