Entrepreneurship in Bolivia: An Ethnographic Enquiry

Abstract

While entrepreneurship takes place around the world, its expression reflects the specific nature of the market in which it takes place. This paper reports the findings of an exploratory study conducted in Bolivia, using ethnographic methods. In this market, much entrepreneurship activity takes place outside the firm-type formal economy. This paper compares the firm-type sector of the formal economy with the Bazaar and the Parallel Economy, which consists of informal, internal or covert economic activities. The findings suggest that in Bolivia, Kirznerian entrepreneurship takes place in the Bazaar, while Cantillonian entrepreneurial activities occur in the Parallel Economy.