An investigation on the drives and challenges of the young entrepreneurs: evidence from Asian and African countries

The aim of the paper is to assess and evaluate the drives and challenges of young entrepreneurs in the developing countries. The study conducts a systematic literature review. It explores the drives and motives of young entrepreneurs mainly in developing countries and challenges faced by this group. In the systematic review, initially about 200 articles were examined. After in-depth investigation, 60 articles have been selected. To find out relevant articles, Google (including Google Scholar) has been used as a search engine. The study has considered eminent articles published between 1975 to 2017. The renowned academic online databases, such as Wiley Online Library, ScienceDirect, Emerald, Taylor and Francis Online Journals, Sage Journals Online, and Web of Science. The theory of planned behaviour (TPB) formulated by Ajzen has been used as theoretical foundation. The study found that there is a number researches conducted mostly in Asian and African countries on university students to assess their entrepreneurial intention. Still more empirical studies are needed in a specific industry in poor developing countries. The conceptual studies confirm that there are specific motivational factors behind young people’s entrepreneurial activities. A number of personal, social and financial obstacles are also found in a series of empirical studies. The TPB was found to act as a useful model to explain the entrepreneurial behaviour and in business start-ups; yet it has been criticised in many occasions.