The effect of cultural factors on social entrepreneurship: The impact of the economic downturn in Spain

© Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2015. The purpose of this chapter is to analyze the influence of cultural factors on social entrepreneurship in Spain in the context of the recent economic crisis. Data from Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) and Spanish Statistics Institute (INE) for the period 2005–2010 are used as the main sources of information and a panel data analysis is applied in the empirical part of the research. Through the lens of institutional economics, the main findings of the study suggest that informal factors such as cultural factors “perceived opportunities to create a start-up” and “entrepreneur’s social image” are key drivers of social entrepreneurship during the depression period. This study contributes for the design of policies to foster social entrepreneurial activity as well as for the development of the literature in the social entrepreneurship field.