Entrepreneurship programs in developing countries: A meta regression analysis

•We provide a review of entrepreneurship programs in developing countries.•Entrepreneurship programs have promising impacts for youth and on business practice.•Providing a package of training and financing works better for labor activities.•Financing support compared to other interventions appears more effective for women.•Business training helps business owners adopt good practice.

This paper provides a review on the effectiveness of various entrepreneurship programs in developing countries. We adopt a meta regression analysis using 37 impact evaluation studies that were in the public domain by March 2012, and draw out several lessons on the design of the programs. We observe a wide variation in program effectiveness across different interventions depending on outcomes, types of beneficiaries, and country context. Overall, entrepreneurship programs have a positive and large impact for youth and on business knowledge and practice, but no immediate translation into business setup and expansion or increased income. At a disaggregate level by outcome groups, providing a package of training and financing is more effective for labor activities. Additionally, financing support appears more effective for women and business training for existing entrepreneurs than other interventions to improve business performance.