Abstract
Entrepreneurship in older ages can boost individual living standards, spark social innovation, and fortify community resilience. Yet, the gap between older adults’ entrepreneurial aspirations and actual engagement remains striking. Recognizing that social networks undergird entrepreneurial engagement, researchers have increasingly called for deeper insight into network processes. To address these gaps, this study adopts an Agent-Based Modeling approach, recognizing the agency of older entrepreneurs in their network interactions. Although time is widely acknowledged as a key factor in how entrepreneurship spreads, complex contagion models overlook how time as a network good may shape entrepreneurial decision-making. This omission is especially consequential for older adults, whose network interactions depend on whether they face an excess, scarcity, or balance of discretionary time during the seminal transition to retirement. This paper bridges entrepreneurship theory, the sociology of time, and network science to introduce a novel Sociotemporal Contagions Model. Results illustrate that once the network effects of time availability are incorporated, entrepreneurial diffusion not only shrinks overall but also clusters more tightly — dynamics that better mirror real-world later-life entrepreneurship outcomes. These findings underscore the vital role of being in ones ‘Temporal Goldilocks Zone’ for initiating and sustaining entrepreneurial ventures. This line of research paves the way for more nuanced and age-inclusive models of entrepreneurial adoption.
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Social and Cultural Perspectives on Aging
KEYWORDS
Entrepreneurship; Social Networks; Time Availability, Time as a Network Good
