Réka Zempléni

Graduate Student Research Funding | 2019 - 2020 Academic Year

Too Much or Too Little Faith? Behavioral Biases and Opportunity Entrepreneurship in Colombia

This project investigates behavioral explanations for the high failure rates of opportunity entrepreneurs in Bogotá, Colombia, by conducting an online lab-in-the-field experiment. The goal is to study the decision-making of aspiring entrepreneurs by simulating the entrepreneurial entry decision through offering the option to participate in a business model competition and varying the information available about success rates of past participants. Additionally the study tests how overconfidence among individuals with lower entrepreneurial potential might lead to high failure rates, both directly and indirectly, through generating underconfidence among individuals with higher potential and tests how an informational intervention can solve this problem.

Réka Zempléni, Department of Economics

Réka Zempléni is a PhD student in economics. Her research is about understanding the role of opportunity entrepreneurship in contributing to growth in developing countries, and understanding the various factors that influence the potential of entrepreneurship such as behavioral factors, philanthropic and investing activities, education and institutions. Her previous work looked at the role of media bias on political outcomes and on civic engagement. Prior to Stanford, Zempléni received her undergraduate degree (highest honors) in economics, with minors in the Teacher Preparatory Program, and in environmental studies from Princeton University, as well as co-founded an educational non-profit in Hungary.

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