Ageing and entrepreneurship: a psychological perspective

This chapter adopts a psychological perspective on the association between ageing and entrepreneurship. Specifically, we focus on individual and contextual characteristics that may change over the lifespan, and therefore explain and modify relations between age and entrepreneurship. First, we define entrepreneurship as a process that involves the identification, evaluation and exploitation of business opportunities. Second, we outline key tenets of a lifespan psychological approach to ageing and development. Third, we review theoretical frameworks and empirical evidence on the association between ageing and entrepreneurship. We conclude the chapter by outlining directions for future research, including conceptual and methodological considerations.