What are the most important factors for the success of a startup? This study aims to shed light on this issue through the statistical analysis of a bibliographical sample of 60 recent articles. Through a detailed study of the selected literature, but from the perspective of business experience, we have identified the comparative relevance of those factors that recent research has highlighted as the main drivers of start-up success. Our analysis allows us to define a core of seven practical business success factors supported by the academic literature (Core-7 SF). This core makes it possible to identify the intersection between success in business practice and academic research. Our Core-7 SF shows that the most important variable to predict the success of a start-up is the Idea, followed by the CEO’s Leadership, the Business Model, the Marketing approach, and the Entrepreneurial Team. In addition, we found some differences between the geographic areas of affiliation of the authors, suggesting that cultural characteristics influence the weight given to the various reasons for success.

This study intends to provide some empirical evidence on the connection between equality and growth. Accordingly, two different samples of countries have been explored over the last three decades using panel data. In the first subsample, encompassed by medium income nations, the relationship between equality (proxied by the Gini index) and growth seems to be hump shaped. In the second subsample, made up by high-income countries, the connection is unambiguously negative – more equality is detrimental for growth. These results suggest that the impact of equality on growth may be different at the various stages of development.

Latin America has experienced a surge in foreign direct investment (FDI) in the last two decades, in parallel with the ratification of major regional trade agreements (RTAs) and bilateral investment treaties (BITs). This paper uses the latest developments in the structural gravity model theory to study if the co-existence of BITs and two major regional agreements, Mercosur and the Latin American Integration Association (ALADI), exerts enhancing or overlapping effects on FDI for eleven countries in Latin America over the period 1995–2018. The study is novel as it accounts for variations in the degree of investment protection across BITs within Latin America by computing a quality index of BITs. It also explores the nature of interactions (enhancing/overlapping effects) between RTAs and BITs. The findings reveal that belonging to a well-established regional trade agreement, such as Mercosur, is significantly more effective than BITs in fostering intra-regional FDI. Phasing-in effects are large and significant and there is evidence of enhancing effects. Results within the bloc are heterogeneous: BITs exert a positive, but small effect, for middle income countries. However, BITs are not effective in attracting FDI in the case of middle to low income countries, unless these countries ratify BITs with a high degree of investment protection.