On 27 May 2025, UNU will host “(Dis)Empowered by Context: Female Entrepreneurs, Firm Performance and Institutions”, a BIG IDEAS Dialogue with Dr. Hanna Berkel, Research Fellow at UNU-WIDER. This online event will be held via Zoom webinar at 18:00 JST (UTC+9).
Research has consistently shown that women-led firms often exhibit lower productivity compared to male-led firms, with one key factor being gender disparities in access to institutions. Drawing on unique datasets from Mozambique, Vietnam and Myanmar, recent research explores how interactions with formal and informal institutions influence firm performance across different contexts.
The findings, based on standard econometric analysis, reveal a generally positive relationship between institutional engagement and firm performance — though the strength of this relationship varies by country. In Mozambique, female-led firms exhibit the strongest positive link, while in Vietnam the association is moderate but still positive. In Myanmar, however, no significant relationship is found. Notably, female managers in both Mozambique and Vietnam outperform their male counterparts in institutional interactions, whereas female owners do not consistently show this advantage.
Dr. Hanna Berkel will join UNU Senior Vice-Rector Sawako Shirahase to explore this collaborative research conducted by Dr. Berkel and Neda Trifkovic from University of Copenhagen. The talk will offer new insights into the institutional barriers and opportunities that shape the outcomes of women entrepreneurs, explore how the research findings highlight the importance of institutional environments and gender dynamics in firm leadership, and discuss what this means for fostering inclusive economic growth.
Please note this event will be in English; Japanese interpretation will not be provided. Advance registration by 26 May is required. Registrants will receive an email on the day of the event with a link to attend via Zoom webinar.
About the speaker
Since March 2023, Hanna Berkel has been a Research Fellow at UNU-WIDER, based in Mozambique, where she works on the "Inclusive Growth in Mozambique — Scaling-up Research and Capacity" programme. She is a development economist with a multidisciplinary background, specializing in microeconomic empirical methods, enterprise dynamics, informality, disaster preparedness and social protection.
Hanna has published in World Development, the Journal of Development Studies and the International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction. She has also served as the field coordinator for multiple data collection efforts in Mozambique.
Prior to her role at UNU-WIDER, Hanna completed her PhD at the University of Copenhagen.
