The enterprise reforms and entrepreneurial development in China

Abstract

China has become a highly entrepreneurial country in the world since the 1990s. In this paper, we investigate the history and nature of Chinese enterprise reforms and focus on the recent development of its private sector. Then, we study the major characteristics of Chinese entrepreneurs and find most of the entrepreneurship in current China is still necessity-driven. With the aid of individual-level and aggregated data, we explore how different socioeconomic factors are associated with Chinese entrepreneurial activities. By doing so, we hope to provide timely and meaningful insights on Chinese entrepreneurship to researchers, the general public, and policymakers at all levels.