Abstract:

Purpose – This paper aims to evaluate entrepreneurship efficiency and its explicative factors in Spanish higher education in Business and Economics

Design/methodology/approach – The methodology used to measure the efficiency DEA (Data Envelopment Analysis) as a new tool in this field has permitted enrichment of the results achieved.

Findings – Results reveal that the explanatory factors for both types of students are different. This could be explained because the students choose one career or another according to their expectations of employment. In this sense, the entrepreneurial efficiency decreases as the administration of students progress in their studies and are closer in contact with the business reality. However, efficiency increases in the case of business students when they choose for any future work option compare for work to public administration.

Research limitations/implications – Although the work reaches conclusive findings, further research is required as the field of entrepreneurship efficiency and its determinants factor in a longitudinal way.

Practical implications – The article provides new methodology and results in the field of entrepreneurship and employability in higher education in Spain.

Originality/value – The article is innovative on a methodological level in arguing for a “connected” entrepreneurship efficiency with an approach toward employability and enterprise development for students.

Keywords:

Entrepreneurship efficiency, Students, Degrees, Self-employment, Truncated regression.