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Business & Society OnlineFirst article (article available to BAS subscribers)

Empirical Evidence That High Levels of Entrepreneurial Attitudes Dampen the Level of Civil Disorder

Bryan T. Stinchfield and Ross T. Silverberg

ABSTRACT The global financial crisis that started in 2008 was followed by recessions, austerity measures, protests, and demonstrations. Relative deprivation theory (RDT) offers an explanation as to why people engage in protests and violence, and the literature contains evidence that economic and environmental variables are often to blame. However, previous RDT scholars have not investigated how a country's entrepreneurial attitudes can affect increases in civil disorder, which is the primary purpose of this study. The authors' results provide not only conflicting evidence regarding RDT explanations but also strong evidence that high levels of entrepreneurial attitudes can significantly dampen increases in society's level of civil disorder. Levels of environmental degradation were found to have no impact on changes in civil disorder.

Duane Windsor, PhD

BAS Editor

Lynette S. Autrey Professor of Management

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