Does poverty limit imagination? The impact of a poverty mindset on entrepreneurial ideation

Abstract: Encouraging and fostering entrepreneurship at the Bottom of the Pyramid （BOP） has emerged in recent years as a novel approach to achieving sustainable poverty alleviation and effective rural revitalization. However, to date, cognitive factors influencing the entrepreneurial behavior of BOP populations have received scant attention. Anchored in scarcity theory, this study addresses the core research question: does a poverty mindset constrain entrepreneurial ideation? Through three key research modules, it investigates the relationship between poverty mindset and entrepreneurial ideation in the BOP entrepreneurial context: 1) The process mechanism of how poverty mindset influences entrepreneurial ideation from an implicit cognition perspective; 2) Intervention strategies for mitigating poverty mindset’s impact on entrepreneurial ideation from a constructivist perspective; 3) The profile of poverty mindset and its predictive effects from a self-regulation perspective under scarcity. Employing a multi-perspective systematic research design, this study aims to uncover the developmental patterns of the poverty mindset-entrepreneurial ideation relationship within the indigenous BOP entrepreneurial context. The findings will deepen theoretical understanding of the early-stage innovation activities of BOP entrepreneurs driven by situational-cognitive factors, while providing theoretical guidance and practical insights for policymakers and practitioners in designing targeted entrepreneurial support policies and knowledge services for BOP populations.