Pathways to enhance the performance of youth returning home to start businesses: A dual-dimensional drive based on digital competence and social capital
In order to further optimize the entrepreneurial performance of young people returning to their hometowns and promote their sustainable development, based on 490 rural entrepreneurship financing questionnaire survey data from 12 provinces (autonomous regions) across the country, this study investigates the impact of digital competence and social capital on the entrepreneurial performance of returning youth. The results show that:1)Both digital competence and social capital will have a positive impact on the business performance of youth groups returning home to start businesses, with alleviating financing constraints and improving the availability of formal financial services as a key mediating role in this relationship. 2) According to the operational structure and development stage of different entrepreneurial organizations, the impact of digital competence and social capital on performance is heterogeneous: both are effective in pure production and shrinking or maintaining organizations, while only social capital plays a significant role in non-production organizations, while neither comprehensive nor expanding organizations shows a significant role in promoting performance. 3) There is a significant complementary effect between digital competence and social capital, that is, the performance effect of one is conditional on the high level of the other, and the two complement each other and mutually promote. Based on these findings, it is recommended to implement precise support policies that emphasize both digital empowerment and social connectivity, broaden composite financing channels based on digital credit systems and community trust mechanisms, and implement differentiated growth support systems for entrepreneurial organizations based on different strategies.
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