The entrepreneur in the innovation discourse: promise or deception? The case of the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Costa Rica

Abstract

The article aims to analyze the place assumed by the entrepreneur within the discourse of innovation and to assess whether, under the current conditions of the Costa Rican entrepreneurial ecosystem, entrepreneurship constitutes a promise of socioeconomic development or an illusion. The methodology combined a quantitative analysis of the National Household Microenterprise Survey (ENAMEH 2024) conducted by the National Institute of Statistics and Census, which allowed for the characterization of the entrepreneurial population in Costa Rica, with a qualitative approach through a workshop with 20 entrepreneurs to explore perceptions, motivations, and barriers. Public laws and initiatives related to entrepreneurship were also reviewed. This methodological triangulation made it possible to articulate objective and subjective dimensions of the phenomenon in dialogue with Latin American debates, which highlight both advances in innovation and the limitations derived from structural inequalities, capital concentration, and institutional weakness. The results show that entrepreneurship is practiced by people of different ages and educational levels, but with a higher participation of men. Entrepreneurship is mostly necessity-driven, operating as a survival strategy in unequal, informal contexts with little institutional support. In conclusion, far from reflecting the hegemonic ideal of innovation and development, entrepreneurship appears as a practice constrained by structural factors that individuals must face alone.