Iranian entrepreneurs at home and in diaspora: Entrepreneurial competencies, exporting, innovation and growth-expectations

Abstract

Entrepreneurs use their competencies to discover and exploit opportunities for doing business. Both entrepreneurial competencies and performance expectedly depend on social circumstances, and specifically differ between natives and emigrants. Here the question is, how do entrepreneurs in Iran and in the Iranian diaspora differ in their competencies and performance? A representative survey of people in Iran and around the world identified entrepreneurs 1639 natives in Iran and Iranians in the diaspora, who were intending to start, starting or operating a business. Statistical analysis shows that entrepreneurial competencies tend to be higher in the diaspora than in Iran, especially alertness to new business opportunities. Partly because of this difference in competencies, performance is higher in the diaspora than in Iran, specifically in terms of innovation, exporting and expectations for growth of the business. Lifting sanctions against Iran, though, will expectedly enhance performance in Iran, and also enhance the Iranian diaspora's exports to Iran.