Rwehumbiza, Deusdedit AugustineMarinov, Marin Alexandrov2018-04-232018-04-232016-12Rwehumbiza D. A. and Marinov, M. A. (2016), “Institutional perspectives on entrepreneurship in emerging economies”, Paper presented at the 42nd Annual Conference of the European International Business Academy (EIBA),Held from December 01 to December 04, 2016, Vienna, Austria.978-3-200-05028-0http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11810/4693Institutional theory has paid little attention to its impact on entrepreneurship. Research on entrepreneurship associated with the impact of institutions is limited to the investigation of the interdependencies of institutional behaviour and entrepreneurial activities. Institutional perspectives on entrepreneurship encompass the impact of Scott´s institutional pillars as a foundation of entrepreneurial progressions, related to opportunity creation, their identification and utilisation, establishment of new firms, their early growth and eventual withdrawal. This paper takes the perspective of the role of weak institutions as the ones found in the emerging economy contexts. There is a scant body of publications based on empirical research concerning entrepreneurial orientation in contexts with weak institutions. Generally, entrepreneurs evaluate the stimuli presented to them by the wider environment. These include environmental characteristics acknowledged as formal and informal institutions. The relative significance of the impacts of the two groups of institutions is reflected upon and then formal institutions are critically evaluated in two specific contexts characterised by weak institutional fields. This study provides theoretical and empirical exploration and explanation concerning the impact of examined factors exercising critical influence on entrepreneurial orientation of exporting manufacturing firms in Tanzania and Kenya.Entrepreneurship, Exporting, Institutions, Kenya, Tanzania, Resource based viewConference Proceedings