DO EHSAAS UNDERGRADUATE SCHOLARSHIP EXPERIENCES ACT AS SOCIAL CAPITAL IN THE PURSUIT OF POST-GRADUATE ENTREPRENEURSHIP? A MODERATED MEDIATION ANALYSIS
Abstract
The paper aimed to determine the role of undergraduate scholarship experiences as a form of social capital in fostering postgraduate entrepreneurship in Pakistan. Based on Social Capital Theory (SCT), this research conceptualizes the experience of Ehsaas Undergraduate Scholarship as furnishing symbolic, narrative, bridging, and bonding capital to nurture entrepreneurial intentions and venture creation. The paper used a sequential mixed-methods design, with the contextual peculiarities in view. The quantitative design employed structural equation modelling to perform moderated mediation analysis on cross-sectional data. Key variables included entrepreneurial outcomes (intentions, opportunity recognition, venture creation, and perceived legitimacy), scholarship experience, and the dimensions (symbolic, bonding, bridging, and narrative) of the social capital scale, and the quality of the postgraduate institutional ecosystem. The qualitative phase used semi-structured interviews to explore the way scholarship experience influenced entrepreneurial intentions, opportunity recognition, and venture creation.
The findings suggest that scholarship experience has a significant positive effect on s symbolic capital, which fosters opportunity recognition and entrepreneurial intentions. Bonding and bridging social capital partially mediated the effect of Ehsaas scholarship experience on entrepreneurship-related outcomes. Similarly, narrative capital also increases the effect of social capital on the entrepreneurial outcomes. The findings also confirm the positive moderation of the postgraduate institutional ecosystem quality in augmenting the effect of Ehsaas scholarship experience on entrepreneurial outcomes mediated through social capital. The study underscores the need to formulate and position graduate-level scholarship programs as vibrant social capital systems rather than merely financial support mechanisms. It contributes to the scholarly literature by emphasizing the dynamic interactions among relational networks, lived experiences, and symbolic legitimacy in shaping entrepreneurial pathways in developing countries. The study may guide policymakers in effectively leveraging the scholarship programs for entrepreneurship, inclusive growth, and development.
