中文摘要
与同伴的关系有助于创业者学习并改善企业绩效。近期研究证实，社交聚会、会议或培训项目等活动能够帮助创业者建立有价值的社会联系。然而，对于发展中经济体的创业者而言，网络摩擦可能使与同伴建立联系变得困难，并削弱活动的收益。我们认为，当网络摩擦较高时，活动的价值更多在于连接邻近的同伴，而非将相距较远的同伴汇聚在一起。在网络摩擦存在的情况下，邻近者既更不可能是创业者已经从中学习过的对象，也更容易维持关系。为检验这一论点，我们使用了多哥一系列网络活动的数据，活动中创业者被随机分配与洛美全市的同伴会面。我们发现，被随机分配与邻近同伴会面的创业者更可能维持关系、学习同伴的管理知识，并进而获益更多：当创业者结识的同伴平均距离近 1 公里时，利润提高 10%。我们的结果凸显了网络摩擦在决定发展中经济体创业者能够成功向谁学习方面所发挥的核心作用。
Abstract
Relationships with peers help entrepreneurs learn and improve firm performance. Recent scholarship confirms that events—social gatherings such as mixers, conferences, or training programs—can help entrepreneurs build valuable social connections. Yet, for entrepreneurs in developing economies, networking frictions may make connecting with peers challenging and undermine the benefits of events. We argue that when networking frictions are high, the value of events will lie more in connecting neighbors rather than bringing together distant peers. In the presence of networking frictions, neighbors are both less likely to be someone the entrepreneur has already learned from and easier to sustain a relationship with. To test this argument, we use data from a series of networking events in Togo during which entrepreneurs were randomly assigned to meet with peers from across the city of Lomé. We find that entrepreneurs who were assigned to neighboring peers were much more likely to sustain a relationship, learn from their peer’s management knowledge, and in turn benefit more: Profits increase by 10% when entrepreneurs get to know peers who are located on average 1 km closer to them. Our results highlight the central role that networking frictions play in shaping who entrepreneurs in developing economies can successfully learn from.