Sampling and Case Selection Issues

Abstract

Who and what should we study in entrepreneurship research? What type of entities, how many, and which particular ones should we study in order to effectively answer our entrepreneurship-related research questions? Starting from the axiom that social science is not like opinion polling, this chapter provides a somewhat unorthodox view on sampling and case selection which focuses on the theoretical relevance of the selected entities. Specific sampling challenges are discussed for entrepreneurship research focusing on the individual, venture, firm, industry, and spatial (region/country) levels of analysis.