The Canadian Regulatory Context and Space Entrepreneurship

Regulatory institutions make formal and informal rules that can affect entrepreneurial activities, including the rate at which firms are founded. The literature shows how regulators influence both the performance of existing firms and the penetration rate of new businesses.

Telfer professor Wadid Lamine has received a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada Insight Grant for a project titled “Institutions and Space Entrepreneurship.” He’ll study the influence of the Canadian regulatory context on space entrepreneurship. 

An overlooked area

Surprisingly, despite the importance of the space industry to the Canadian economy, little study in the field of entrepreneurship has looked at this area.

For Lamine, the economic benefits of the space industry are significant and varied. Moreover, the space industry is perceived as very innovative, leading researchers to expect it to be an environment conducive to entrepreneurship. His challenge will be to understand how institutional regulatory variations in a national context affect the entrepreneurial dynamic in this highly regulated industry.

Research Impact

Findings from Lamine’s research will have practical relevance for various stakeholders, including policymakers, the Canadian Space Agency, managers in business incubators and entrepreneurs at space companies.