Selected variation: the population‐level implications of multistage selection in entrepreneurship

Abstract

This article examines the population level implications of microlevel theories of entrepreneurship. The actions of those who seek to organize opportunities, as well as the hurdles that they must overcome to successfully exploit them, give rise to an evolutionary multistage selection process. The article indicates that the consideration of selection events leads to a more complete understanding of the entrepreneurial process and how microlevel theories influence important outcomes in entrepreneurship. Other theoretical and empirical implications of staged selection for research in entrepreneurship are discussed. Copyright © 2008 Strategic Management Society.