Entrepreneurship and prospects of the sector in Bolivia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61347/psa.v4i1.152Keywords:
Bolivia, business ecosystem, entrepreneurship, innovation, public policy, SMEsAbstract
This article aims to analyze the state of entrepreneurship in Bolivia, as well as its main challenges, opportunities, and development prospects in the Latin American context, using a descriptive-analytical approach to the Bolivian entrepreneurial ecosystem. Through a systematic review of the scientific literature and the analysis of secondary data from national and international organizations, the study examines the institutional, cultural, economic, and social factors that shape entrepreneurial activity in the country, allowing for the integration of empirical and theoretical evidence to achieve a comprehensive understanding of the phenomenon under study. The results show that Bolivia has a relatively high early-stage entrepreneurial activity (TEA) rate compared to the region; however, it faces significant structural limitations in access to financing, technological infrastructure, entrepreneurial training, and regulatory frameworks. Likewise, sectors with high growth potential are identified, such as agribusiness, the digital economy, tourism, and artisanal manufacturing. The conclusions highlight the need to strengthen public policies that promote entrepreneurship, improve the institutional environment, and foster innovation as strategic pillars of entrepreneurial development in Bolivia, evidencing the persistence of an entrepreneurial paradox characterized by high activity but low productive sophistication.
Downloads
References
Acs, Z., & Audretsch, D. (Eds.). (2003). Handbook of entrepreneurship research: An interdisciplinary survey and introduction (1st ed., Vol. 1). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/b105789
Aguilera‐Caracuel, J., Hurtado‐Torres, N. E., & Aragón‐Correa, J. A. (2012). Does international experience help firms to be green? A knowledge-based view of how international experience and organisational learning influence proactive environmental strategies. International Business Review, 21(5), 847–861. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ibusrev.2011.09.009
Aparicio, S., Urbano, D., & Audretsch, D. (2016). Institutional factors, opportunity entrepreneurship and economic growth: Panel data evidence. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 102, 45–61. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2015.04.006
Audretsch, D., & Thurik, R. (2001). Linking entrepreneurship to growth (OECD Science, Technology and Industry Working Papers No. 2001/02). OECD Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/736170038056
Autoridad de Regulación y Fiscalización de Telecomunicaciones y Transportes [ATT]. (2022). Boletín estadístico del sector de telecomunicaciones en Bolivia: Al segundo semestre gestión 2024. https://n9.cl/4xmjkh
Autoridad de Supervisión del Sistema Financiero [ASFI]. (2022). Boletín estadístico del sistema financiero boliviano 2022. https://n9.cl/g04tu
Banco de Desarrollo Productivo [BDP]. (2022). Memoria Anual 2022. https://n9.cl/the4nf
Bateman, M. (2010). Why doesn’t microfinance work?: The destructive rise of local neoliberalism (1st ed.). Zed Books Ltd. https://doi.org/10.5040/9781350223974
Baumol, W. (1990). Entrepreneurship: Productive, unproductive, and destructive. Journal of Political Economy, 98(5, Part 1), 893–921. https://doi.org/10.1086/261712
Beck, T., & Demirguc-Kunt, A. (2006). Small and medium-size enterprises: Access to finance as a growth constraint. Journal of Banking & Finance, 30(11), 2931–2943. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbankfin.2006.05.009
Bosma, N., Hill, S., Ionescu-Somers, A., Kelley, D., Levie, J., & Tarnawa, A. (2020). Global Entrepreneurship Monitor: 2019/2020 Global Report. Global Entrepreneurship Research Association. https://n9.cl/c94h2
Bruton, G., Ahlstrom, D., & Li, H. (2010). Institutional theory and entrepreneurship: Where are we now and where do we need to move in the future? Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 34(3), 421–440. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6520.2010.00390.x
Bruton, G., Khavul, S., Siegel, D., & Wright, M. (2015). New financial alternatives in seeding entrepreneurship: Microfinance, crowdfunding, and peer-to-peer innovations. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 39(1), 9–26. https://doi.org/10.1111/etap.12143
Claessens, S., & Tzioumis, K. (2006). Measuring firms' access to finance. World Bank. https://www.academia.edu/31395114/Measuring_firms_access_to_finance
Colet, F. (2024). La identidad indígena: Procesos de construcción de la identidad de las comunidades indígenas americanas. Ensamblajes. Revista de Antropología Predoctoral, 1(1), 8–31. https://doi.org/10.71405/ensamblajes/2024/v1.1.1
Crespi, G., & Zuniga, P. (2012). Innovation and productivity: Evidence from six Latin American countries. World Development, 40(2), 273–290. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2011.07.010
Creswell, J., & Plano, V. (2017). Designing and conducting mixed methods research (3rd ed.). SAGE Publications. https://n9.cl/57ni8
Cull, R., Giné, X., Harten, S., & Rusu, A. (2017). Agent banking in a highly under-developed financial sector: Evidence from the Democratic Republic of Congo (Policy Research Working Paper No. WPS 7984). World Bank Group. http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/722441488208513171
Denzin, N. (2012). Triangulation 2.0. Journal of Mixed Methods Research, 6(2), 80–88. https://doi.org/10.1177/1558689812437186
Ferraro, C., & Rojo, S. (2018). Las MIPYMES en América Latina y el Caribe: Una agenda integrada para promover la productividad y la formalización (Informes Técnicos No. 7). Organización Internacional del Trabajo. https://www.ilo.org/es/publications/las-mipymes-en-america-latina-y-el-caribe-una-agenda-integrada-para
Gallaguer, D. (2013). Reseña del libro: Why nations fail. The origins of power, prosperity and poverty, por Daron Acemoglu y James A. Robinson, Londres : Profile Books, 2012. Estudios Internacionales, 45(174), 145 - 150. https://doi.org/10.5354/0719-3769.2013.27001
García, A., & Iglesias, E. (2017). Economía digital en América Latina y el Caribe: Situación actual y recomendaciones. Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo. http://dx.doi.org/10.18235/0012713
Global Entrepreneurship Monitor. (2022). GEM 2021/2022 global report: Opportunity amid disruption. Global Entrepreneurship Research Association. https://n9.cl/nnkpp0
Henao, A. (2024). El ecosistema de las startups en Bolivia: Un análisis desde adentro. Revista Compás Empresarial, 15(39). https://doi.org/10.52428/20758960.v15i39.1217
Hessels, J., van Gelderen, M., & Thurik, R. (2008). Entrepreneurial aspirations, motivations, and their drivers. Small Business Economics, 31, 323–339. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11187-008-9134-x
Hincapié, F., Montoya, A., & Duque, P. (2023). Emprendimiento femenino en América Latina: Una aproximación teórica. Económicas CUC, 44(2), 191–234. https://doi.org/10.17981/econcuc.44.2.2023.Org.3
Hofstede, G. (2001). Culture’s consequences: Comparing values, behaviors, institutions, and organizations across nations (2nd ed.). Sage Publications. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/unf_research/53/
Instituto Nacional de Estadística [INE]. (2023). Encuesta continua de empleo, trimestre IV 2022 (BOL-INE-ECE-4T2022). Catálogo Central de Datos y Microdatos. https://anda.ine.gob.bo/index.php/catalog/101
International Monetary Fund. (2021). Bolivia: 2021 Article IV consultation—Press release; staff report; and statement by the executive director for Bolivia (IMF Country Report No. 2021/180). International Monetary Fund. https://doi.org/10.5089/9781513593050.002
Isenberg, D. (2011). The entrepreneurship ecosystem strategy as a new paradigm for economic policy: Principles for cultivating entrepreneurship. The Babson Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Project, Wellesley College. https://n9.cl/ii0dv
Jevons, W. (1881). Richard Cantillon and the Nationality of Political Economy. https://n9.cl/2tszb
Jiménez, J., Mojica, J., Hernández, H., & Cardona, D. (2018). Diagnóstico de la innovación y desarrollo tecnológico en el sector hotelero de la región Caribe colombiana. Información Tecnológica, 29(5), 157–168. https://doi.org/10.4067/S0718-07642018000500157
Kantis, H., & Drucaroff, S. (2011). Corriendo fronteras para crear y potenciar empresas: Experiencias innovadoras de emprendedores dinámicos latinoamericanos. Ediciones Granica S.A. https://n9.cl/8syrb
Kaufmann, D., Kraay, A., & Mastruzzi, M. (2011). The worldwide governance indicators: Methodology and analytical issues. Hague Journal on the Rule of Law, 3(2), 220–246. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1017/S1876404511200046
Kirzner, I. (1973). Competition and entrepreneurship (2nd ed.). University of Chicago Press. https://n9.cl/l9fmw
Lassio, V., Arteaga, E., & Caicedo, G. (2011). Global entrepreneurship monitor. ESPAE. http://www.dspace.espol.edu.ec/handle/123456789/16932
Lederman, D., Messina, J., Pienknagura, S., & Rigolini, J. (2014). El emprendimiento en América Latina: Muchas empresas y poca innovación. Banco Mundial. https://n9.cl/oc20m7
Lora, E., & Castellani, F. (Eds.). (2014). Entrepreneurship in Latin America: A step up the social ladder? Inter-American Development Bank. https://doi.org/10.18235/0012397
Ministerio de Planificación del Desarrollo. (2021). Plan de Desarrollo Económico y Social 2021-2025: Reconstruyendo la economía para vivir bien, hacia la industrialización con sustitución de importaciones. Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia. https://n9.cl/5okct
Moher, D., Liberati, A., Tetzlaff, J., Altman, D., & The PRISMA Group. (2009). Preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses: The PRISMA statement. PLoS Medicine, 6(7), e1000097. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1000097
Morduch, J. (1999). The microfinance promise. Journal of Economic Literature, 37(4), 1569–1614. https://doi.org/10.1257/jel.37.4.1569
North, D. (1990). Institutions, institutional change and economic performance. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511808678
OECD/Eurostat. (2018). Oslo manual 2018: Guidelines for collecting, reporting and using data on innovation (4th ed.). OECD Publishing/Eurostat. https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264304604-en
Perez, C. (2002). Technological revolutions and financial capital: The dynamics of bubbles and golden ages. Edward Elgar Publishing. http://pombo.free.fr/carlota2002.pdf
Pérez, V., & Camacho, S. (2021). Factores de éxito y fracaso al emprendimiento productivo de derivación de lácteos de mujeres en el Municipio de Batallas. Revista Perspectivas, 119–174. https://n9.cl/pn80x
Petticrew, M., & Roberts, H. (2006). Systematic reviews in the social sciences: A practical guide. Blackwell Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470754887
Porter, M. (1990). The competitive advantage of nations. Harvard Business Review, 68(2), 73-91. https://n9.cl/6tai1
Red Iberoamericana de Indicadores de Ciencia y Tecnología. (2025). El estado de la ciencia: Principales indicadores de ciencia y tecnología 2025. Organización de Estados Iberoamericanos; UNESCO. https://n9.cl/w47kw
Reinoso, J., Vera, J., & Naranjo, W. (2022). Condiciones sistémicas para el emprendimiento dinámico en el cluster textil-confección en Ibagué-Colombia. Revista Venezolana de Gerencia, 27(Especial 7), 492–509. https://doi.org/10.52080/rvgluz.27.7.32
Reynolds, P., Bosma, N., Autio, E., Hunt, S., De Bono, N., Servais, I., Lopez-Garcia, P., & Chin, N. (2005). Global Entrepreneurship Monitor: Data collection design and implementation 1998–2003. Small Business Economics, 24, 205–231. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11187-005-1980-1
Say, J. (1971). A treatise on political economy. Augustus M. Kelley Publishers. http://mises.org/resources/3505/A-Treatise-on-Political-Economy
Schumpeter, J. (2003). Capitalism, socialism and democracy. Routledge. (Obra original publicada en 1943). https://n9.cl/mtvug
Shane, S., & Venkataraman, S. (2000). The promise of entrepreneurship as a field of research. The Academy of Management Review, 25(1), 217–226. https://doi.org/10.2307/259271
Spigel, B. (2017). The relational organization of entrepreneurial ecosystems. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 41(1), 49–72. https://doi.org/10.1111/etap.12167
Stam, E. (2015). Entrepreneurial ecosystems and regional policy: A sympathetic critique. European Planning Studies, 23(9), 1759–1769. https://doi.org/10.1080/09654313.2015.1061484
Stam, E., & Spigel, B. (2016). Entrepreneurial Ecosystems (U.S.E. Discussion Paper Series No. 16-13). Utrecht University School of Economics. https://n9.cl/6hec5b
Stevenson, H., & Jarillo, J. (1990). A paradigm of entrepreneurship: Entrepreneurial management. Strategic Management Journal, 11, 17–27. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-48543-8_7
Tito, R., & Tito-Leon, E. (2018). Cultura tradicional andina en un mundo cambiante: El caso de una comunidad rural del Perú. PASOS. Revista de Turismo y Patrimonio Cultural, 16(2), 475–482. https://doi.org/10.25145/j.pasos.2018.16.034
Tranfield, D., Denyer, D., & Smart, P. (2003). Towards a methodology for developing evidence-informed management knowledge by means of systematic review. British Journal of Management, 14(3), 207–222. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8551.00375
Unidad de Análisis de Políticas Sociales y Económicas. (2021). Sitio web oficial de la Unidad de Análisis de Políticas Sociales y Económicas (UDAPE). https://www.udape.gob.bo/
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. (2021). Digital economy report 2021: Cross-border data flows and development: For whom the data flow. United Nations. https://unctad.org/system/files/official-document/der2021_en.pdf
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. (2021). Practical implementation of core indicators for sustainable development reporting: Case studies. United Nations. https://doi.org/10.18356/9789210056823
Vargas, C., & Torres-Callisaya, M. (2024). La estructura productiva en Bolivia: Identificación de los encadenamientos sectoriales en las actividades económicas mediante la matriz insumo producto. Revista Latinoamericana de Desarrollo Económico, 42, 43–75. https://doi.org/10.35319/lajed.202442543
Wanderley, F. (2016). La economía solidaria y comunitaria en Bolivia. Revista de la Academia, 21, 57-75. https://n9.cl/5swpw
Welter, F., & Smallbone, D. (2011). Institutional perspectives on entrepreneurial behavior in challenging environments. Journal of Small Business Management, 49(1), 107–125. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-627X.2010.00317.x
Wennekers, S., van Wennekers, A., Thurik, R., & Reynolds, P. (2005). Nascent entrepreneurship and the level of economic development. Small Business Economics, 24, 293–309. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11187-005-1994-8
World Bank. (2020). Doing business 2020: Comparing business regulation in 190 economies. World Bank. https://doi.org/10.1596/978-1-4648-1440-2
World Bank. (2025). Bolivia enterprise surveys: Regulations and compliance time indicators. World Bank Enterprise Surveys. https://n9.cl/8j2og
Yin, R. (2017). Case study research and applications: Design and methods (6th ed.). SAGE Publications. https://n9.cl/l2rdg
Ziegler, T., Shneor, R., Wenzlaff, K., Wang, B. W., Kim, J., Odorovic, A., Ferri de Camargo Paes, F., Suresh, K., Zhang, B. Z., Johanson, D., Lopez, C., Mammadova, L., Adams, N., & Luo, D. (2019). The global alternative finance market benchmarking report: Trends, opportunities and challenges for lending, equity and non-investment alternative finance models. Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance, University of Cambridge Judge Business School. https://n9.cl/yhww2
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Daniela Guzmán Condori
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
