Whereas much research has focused on the predictors of entrepreneurial behavior during adulthood, we know little about how preadulthood experiences influence entrepreneurial behavior later in life. Grounded in imprinting theory, this study examines whether introducing economics classes in school enhances students’ entrepreneurial behavior in adulthood. Using a difference-in-differences approach exploiting curriculum reforms in Germany, we find that participating in economics classes increases students’ later entrepreneurial activities by four percentage points. We also investigate the underlying mechanism and find that the impact on entrepreneurial behavior is driven by individual-centered rather than market-centered economics curricula.

中文翻译：

---

学校经济学教育对未来创业行为的影响

虽然许多研究都集中在成年期创业行为的预测因素上，但我们对成年前的经历如何影响以后的创业行为知之甚少。本研究以印记理论为基础，考察了在学校开设经济学课程是否能增强学生成年后的创业行为。利用德国的课程改革，采用双重差分方法，我们发现参加经济学课程会使学生以后的创业活动增加 4 个百分点。我们还调查了潜在机制，发现对创业行为的影响是由以个人为中心而不是以市场为中心的经济学课程驱动的。