start-up wolf: the shenzhen model of high-tech entrepreneurship

Transnational entrepreneurs with technological know-how have been promoted by the Chinese state and academic literature as a central force for regional development of industrial competitiveness. But what motivates them, and what do they experience and aspire to when building a start-up in China? This book answers these questions by examining how socially privileged entrepreneurial talents adopt and champion the ＂wolf culture＂ - a fast-paced, competitive, and aspirational work culture - that has become prevalent since China’s mass promotion of entrepreneurship and innovation.

Based on extensive field research, including participant observation and interviews in Shenzhen’s high-tech industry, this book challenges the popular notion of entrepreneurship as entirely self-initiated and passion-driven. Outlining the concrete instruments of governance of the local state, the author argues that transnational talent from elite schools or elite professions is often ＂entrepreneured＂ in China. Moreover, she argues that the different standards of selection of entrepreneurial talents by state and market actors create localised precarious conditions for them. This book offers fascinating insights into the contradictions inherent in the Chinese model of entrepreneurship.

Start-up Wolf will appeal to scholars and students of China studies, the anthropology of entrepreneurship, science and technology studies, and economic geography, as well as business practitioners interested in innovation and high-tech start-ups.

Olivia Yijian Liu is an entrepreneurship researcher, an ethnographic fieldworker, an area specialist focusing on global China, and a consultant based in Norway. She obtained her PhD from the University of Oslo.