Journal of Business Venturing
Entrepreneurship research is increasingly examining how social class origin shapes entrepreneurial pathways. This growing body of work highlights the enduring advantages and disadvantages entrepreneurs face based on their access to economic, social, and cultural capital acquired through childhood or birth—challenging the popular “rags to riches” narrative that upward mobility is equally attainable for all. To unify and extend this conversation, we develop an integrative framework that explains how entrepreneurs’ social class origin influences their mobility.
Kristie Neff (Moergen) is an assistant professor of management and entrepreneurship at the Ivy College of Business. Her paper is published in the Journal of Business Venturing.