Frontiers of Entrepreneurship
Research
Volume 29, Issue 22 2009 Article 5
CHAPTER XXII. RESEARCH METHODS
STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN OR HIGHWAY TO
HELL? THE USE OF GLOBAL
ENTREPRENEURSHIP MONITOR DATA
IN ACADEMIC RESEARCH
(INTERACTIVE PAPER)
Heiko Bergmann Susan Mu¨llery
Thomas Schrettlez
University of St. Gallen, Switzerland, heiko.bergmann@unisg.ch
yUniversity of St. Gallen, Switzerland
zUniversity of St. Gallen, Switzerland
This paper is posted at Digital Knowledge at Babson.
Copyright c
2009 by the authors. All rights reserved.
This content may not be commercially reproduced without the permission of the copyright holder.

STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN OR HIGHWAY TO
HELL? THE USE OF GLOBAL
ENTREPRENEURSHIP MONITOR DATA
IN ACADEMIC RESEARCH
(INTERACTIVE PAPER)
Heiko Bergmann, Susan Mu¨ller, and Thomas Schrettle
Abstract
In 1998 Babson College and London Business School initiated the Global Entrepreneurship
Monitor (GEM) program to increase our understanding of the role of entrepreneurship in national
economic growth. GEM is now the largest single study of entrepreneurial activity in the world.
In view of the 10th anniversary of the GEM project we seek to understand how the “heavenly”
possibilities for entrepreneurship research are currently used in the academic world. With a thor-
ough analysis of empirical academic papers using GEM data the paper aims to provide insights
and recommendations about the future usage of the data.
KEYWORDS: Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, entrepreneurship research

INTERACTIVE PAPER

STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN OR HIGHWAY TO HELL?
THE USE OF GLOBAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP MONITOR DATA
IN ACADEMIC RESEARCH

Heiko Bergmann, University of St. Gallen, Switzerland
Susan Müller, University of St. Gallen, Switzerland
Thomas Schrettle, University of St. Gallen, Switzerland

Principal Topic

In 1998 Babson College and London Business School initiated the Global Entrepreneurship
Monitor (GEM) program to increase our understanding of the role of entrepreneurship in national
economic growth. GEM is now the largest single study of entrepreneurial activity in the world. In
view of the 10th anniversary of the GEM project we seek to understand how the “heavenly”
possibilities for entrepreneurship research are currently used in the academic world. With a
thorough analysis of empirical academic papers using GEM data the paper aims to provide
insights and recommendations about the future usage of the data.

Method

Based on information provided by the GEM consortium and an EBSCO search we identified
66 English-language papers published in academic journals using GEM data. To ensure a reliable
evaluation of the papers we set up an analyzing framework including relevant aspects of data
usage in empirical studies. Each paper was analyzed by at least two of the three authors.

Results and Implications

Academic papers use GEM data in a number of different ways and concerning different topics.
In almost half of the papers the unit of analysis is the individual level while slightly more than half
of the papers deals with aggregated data, mostly on the national level and only in a few cases on
the regional level. Both groups of papers have specific strength and report specific limitations.
Financing, gender and framework conditions are topics frequently covered. Most papers take the
established constructs of Early-Stage Entrepreneurial Activity (TEA), nascent entrepreneurship
and young business ownership. The breadth of information gathered within the GEM project is not
fully utilized, e.g. established business owners are only seldom the focus of analysis. Often, GEM
variables are used without discussing their appropriateness regarding the research question.

Our results have implications for researchers within and outside the GEM project. So far some
papers based on GEM data have managed to climb the “stairway to heaven”, increase our
knowledge about entrepreneurship and get published in top entrepreneurship journals. We believe
that it is important to fully understand the GEM methodology in order to understand whether
GEM data fit to a specific research question. We encourage researchers to make use of the
individual data, be innovative, include new constructs and challenge established ways of using
GEM data.

CONTACT: Heiko Bergmann; heiko.bergmann@unisg.ch; (T): +41(0)71 2247100; (F): +41(0)71
2247100; University of St.Gallen, Switzerland.

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Bergmann et al.: STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN OR HIGHWAY TO HELL?
Frontiers of Entrepreneurship Research 2009