Thank you for visiting my website! I am Boris N. Nikolaev, Ph.D. I am an Assistant Professor at the College of Business at Colorado State University. Previously, I was an Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship at the Hankamer School of Business, a Research Associate at the Baugh Center for Entrepreneurship & Free Enterprise, and Director of the McLane Scholars Program at Baylor University, and an Assistant Professor of Economics at Oxford College of Emory University.

I received my undergraduate degree (Economics, Mathematics, and Philosophy) from Manchester College and my graduate degree from the University of South Florida (Economics and Business). Currently, my research and teaching are in the field of entrepreneurship where I study the links between socio-economic institutions, entrepreneurship, and well-being.

My research includes over 50 peer-reviewed publications, including a dozen articles in premier journals such as JBV, ETP, JAP, SEJ, and JIBS. My work has been featured in the Economist, Forbes, TechCrunch, the Atlantic, and many other media outlets. I have been honored to received multiple research excellence awards, including the Habicht Early Career Research Award [researchgate profile] [google scholar].

In the classroom, my passion for innovative teaching has earned recognition from the Academy of Management. I have also received several university-wide teaching awards, including the William H. Fox Teaching Award for Emerging Excellence (Emory University), the N. Preston Davis Award for Instructional Innovation (Colorado State University), the Provost Award for Outstanding Teaching (University of South Florida), and the Innovation in Entrepreneurship Pedagogy Award (AOM ENT Division).

What drives me? A curiosity about how entrepreneurship shapes our world and a commitment to nurturing the next generation of business leaders and entrepreneurship scholars. Whether I’m exploring the impact of AI on value creation or investigating the well-being of entrepreneurs, my goal is to produce research that matters and education that inspires.

Outside of academia, I spend most of my time with my family, travel, take lots of pictures, play computer games with my kids (Zelda and Horizon Zero Dawn are our favorites), build stuff in my garage, learn new skills, and enjoy every opportunity to be outdoors.

RESEARCH INTERESTS: Public Policy, Applied Microeconomics, Entrepreneurship, Mental Health & Well-being, Economic Development, New Institutional Economics

PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS

2024

– Obschonka, M., Grégoire, D., Nikolaev, B., Ooms, F., Lévesque, M. Pollack, J., Behrend, T. (forthcoming). “AI and Entrepreneurship: A Call for Research to Prospect and Establish the Scholarly AI Frontiers” Entrepreneurship Theory & Practice

– Nikolaev, B., Lerman, M., and Develtsin, M. (forthcoming) “From Emotional Rollercoasters to Spock Strategists: A Person-Centric Approach to Unravelling the Coping Profiles of Entrepreneurs for Enhanced Well-being.” Journal of Business & Psychology.

– Lerman, M., Huiqing Ju, Nikolaev, B. (forthcoming) “Towards a Coping-in-Combination Approach: The Benefits of Combining Coping Strategies for Purpose in Life of the Self-Employed.” Business Research Quarterly.

– Nikolova, M., Nikolaev, B. and Cnossen, F. (2024). “Robots, Meaning, and Self-Determination” Research Policy, 53(5), 104987

– Love, I., Nikolaev, B., Dhakal, C. (2024). “The Well-being of Women Entrepreneurs: The Role of Gender Inequality and Gender Roles.” Small Business Economics 62(1), 325-352  [download here]

2023

– Boudreaux, C., Bennett, D., Lucas, D., Nikolaev, B. (2023). “Taking Mental Models Seriously: Institutions, Entrepreneurship, and the Mediating Role of Socio-Cognitive Traits.” Small Business Economics 61(2), 465-493 [download here]

– Nikolaev, B., Lerman, M., Boudreaux, C., and Mueller, B. (2023). “Self-Employment and Eudaimonic Well-being: The Mediating Role of Problem- and Emotion-Focused Coping.” Entrepreneurship Theory & Practice 47(6), 2121-2154 [download here]

-Bennett, D., Boudreaux, C., & Nikolaev, B. (2023)  “Populist Discourse and Entrepreneurship: The Role of Political Ideology and Institutions.” Journal of International Business Studies 54(1), 151-181 [download here]

– Nikolova, M., Nikolaev, B., Boudreaux, C. (2023) “Being your own boss and bossing others: The moderating effect of managing others on work meaning and autonomy for the self-employed and employees.” Small Business Economics 60(2), 463-483 [download here]

2022

– Solomon, B., Nikolaev, B., and Shepherd, D. (2022) “Does Educational Attainment Promote Job Satisfaction? The Bittersweet Trade-offs Between Job Resources, Demands, and Stress” Journal of Applied Psychology 107 (7), 1227-1241 [download here]

2021

– Bennett, D. & Nikolaev, B. (2021) “Historical Prevalence of Infectious Diseases, Economic Institutions, and Global Entrepreneurship.” Entrepreneurship Theory & Practice, 45(1), 145-174 [download here]

– Nikolova, M. and Nikolaev, B. (2021) “Family Matters: involuntary parental unemployment during childhood and subjective wellbeing later in life.” Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, (181) 312-331. [download here]

– Bennett, D., Boudreaux, C., & Nikolaev, B. (2021) “Populist Discourse and Entrepreneurial Action: The Role of Political Ideology and Institutions.” Academy of Management Best Paper Proceedings. (1):15795

– Nikolaev, B. (2021) “The Economics of Entrepreneurship” Bridwell Institute for Economic Freedom.

2020

– Nikolaev, B., Boudreaux, C. and Wood, M. (2020) “Entrepreneurship and subjective well-being: The mediating role of psychological capital” Entrepreneurship Theory & Practice 44(3), 557-586.  [download here]

– Bennett, D. and Nikolaev, B. “Individualism, Pro-Market Institutions, and National Innovation.” Small Business Economics (forthcoming) [download here]

– Nikolova, M., Nikolaev, B., Popova, O. “The Perceived Well-being and Health Costs of Exiting Self-Employment.” Small Business Economics (forthcoming) [download here]

– Nikolaev, B., Lerman, M., Mueller, B. (2020) “Entrepreneurship, Coping, and Eudaimonic Well-Being.” Academy of Management Best Paper Proceedings. (1): 13551.

– Nikolaev, B. and Bennett, D. (2020) “Rising Income Inequality and Economic Growth: Are Americans Better Off? Evidence from Subjective Well-being Data” Journal of Private Enterprise 35(3), 63-92. [download here]

2019

– Wiklund, J., Nikolaev, B., Foo, MD, Shir, N. and Bradley, S. (2019) “Entrepreneurship and well-being: Past, present, and future.”Journal of Business Venturing, 34 (4), 579-588 [download here]

– Boudreaux, C., Nikolaev, B., and Klein, P. (2019) “Socio-cognitive traits and entrepreneurship: The moderating role of economic institutions.” Journal of Business Venturing, 34(1): 178-196 [download here]

– Nikolaev, B., Shir, N. and Wiklund, J. (2019) “Dispositional positive and negative affect and self-employment transitions: The mediating role of job satisfaction.” Entrepreneurship Theory & Practice, 44(3), 451-474. [download here]

– Nikolaev, B. and Maldonado Bautista, I. (2019) “Personality Traits and Income Attainment of Self-Employed People—Accounting for Model Uncertainty” Journal of Business Venturing Insights 11: e0011 [download here]

– Bennett, D., and Nikolaev, B. (2019) “Economic Freedom, Public Policy and Entrepreneurship,” in Economic Freedom of the World Report. Edited by James Gwartney, Robert Lawson, and Josh Hall [download here]

– Boudreaux, C., and Nikolaev, B. (2019) “Exploring gender differences in entrepreneurship: how the regulatory environment mitigates differences in early-stage growth aspirations,” in High-growth Women’s Entrepreneurship. Edited by Amanda Bullough, Diana Hechavarria, Candida Brush, and Linda Edelman [download here]

– Bennett, D.& Nikolaev, B. (2019) “The Historical Prevalence of Infectious Diseases and Global Innovation.” Academy of Management Best Paper Proceedings. (1):15643

2018

– Shir, N., Nikolaev, B., and Wincent, J. (2018) “Entrepreneurship and well-being: The role of psychological autonomy, competence, and relatedness.” Journal of Business Venturing, 34(5): 105857 [download here] [Forbes article]

– Boudreaux, C., and Nikolaev, B. (2018) “Capital is not enough: Opportunity Entrepreneurship and Formal Institutions” Small Business Economics, 53(1): 709-738. [download here]

– Nikolaev, B. and Wood, M. “Cascading Ripples: Contagion Effects of Entrepreneurial Activity on Self-Employment Attitudes and Choices in Regional Cohorts” Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal, 2018: 1-27 [download here]

– Nikolaev, B., Boudreaux, C. and Palich, L. “Cross-Country Determinants of Early-Stage Necessity and Opportunity Entrepreneurship: Accounting for Model Uncertainty” Journal of Small Business Management, 2018 (56-S1): 243-280 [download here]

– Boudreaux, C., and Nikolaev, B., and Holcombe, R. “Corruption and Non-Productive Entrepreneurship” Small Business Economics, 2018 (51): 181-202 [download here]

– Nikolaev, B., Shir, N. and Wiklund, J.  “Dispositional Affect and Entry into Entrepreneurship: Evidence from Panel Data” Frontiers of Entrepreneurship Research (forthcoming)

2017

– Nikolaev, B., Boudreaux, C., and Salahodjaev, R. “Are More Individualistic Societies Less Equal? Evidence from the Parasite-Stress Theory of Values” Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization 2017 (138C): 30-49 [download here]

– Nikolaev, B., and Salahodjaev, R. “Historical Prevalence of Infectious Diseases, Cultural Values, and the Origins of Economic Institutions.” Kyklos 2017 (70): 97-128 [download here]

– Bennett, D. and Nikolaev, B. “Economic Freedom and Happiness Inequality — Friends or Foes?” Contemporary Economic Policy 2017 (35): 373-393 [download here]

– Nikolaev, B. and Bennett, D. “Economic Freedom and Emotional Well-being.” Journal of Regional Analysis and Policy (2017) [download here]

– Boudreaux, C., Nikolaev, B., and Klein, P. “Entrepreneurial Traits, Formal Institutions, and the Motivation to Engage in Entrepreneurial Action” Academy of Management Best Paper Proceedings (1):16427

– Nikolaev, B., Shir, N. and Wiklund, J. (2017) “The Role of Positive and Negative Affect on Entrepreneurs’ Entry and Exit Decisions.”  Academy of Management Best Paper Proceedings (1):11105

– Nikolaev, B., and Bradley, S. (2017) “Self-employment and job satisfaction: The Role of Higher Education.” Frontiers of Entrepreneurship Research (37: 3) Article 19.

– Nikolaev, B. (2017) “The Economics of Happiness” O’ Neil Center for Global Markets and Freedom.

2016

– Bennett, D., Nikolaev, B., and Aidt, T. “Institutions and Well-being.” European Journal of Political Economy 2016 (45) 1-10 [download here]

– Nikolaev, B. “Does Higher Education Increase Hedonic and Eudaimonic Well-being?” Journal of Happiness Studies. 2016: 1-27 [download here]

– Nikolaev, B. and Bennett, D. “Give Me Liberty and Give Me Control: Economic Freedom, Control Perceptions, and the Paradox of Choice.” European Journal of Political Economy 2016 (45) 39-52 [download here]

– Nikolaev, B. “Does Other People’s Education Make Us Less Happy?” Economics of Education Review 52 (1) 2016: 176-191 [download here

– Bennett, D., Nikolaev, B. “Factor Endowments, The Rule of Law & Structural Inequality: Testing the Engerman-Sokoloff Hypothesis.” Journal of Institutional Economics 2016: 1-23 [download here]

– Bennett, D., Nikolaev, B. “On the Ambiguous Economic Freedom-Inequality Relationship.” Empirical Economics 2016: 1-38 [download here]

– Nikolova, M. and Nikolaev, B. “Does Joining the EU Make You Happy?” Journal of Happiness Studies 2016: 1-31 [download here

– Nikolaev, B., and Salahodjaev, R.  “The Role of Intelligence in the Distribution of National Happiness.” Intelligence. 56(1) 2016: 38-45 [download here]

– Nikolaev, B., and McGee, J. “Relative Verbal Intelligence and Happiness.” Intelligence. 2016, 59: 1-7 [download here]

2015

– Nikolaev, B. “Living with Mom and Dad and Loving It…or Are You?” Journal of Economic Psychology. 51(1) December 2015: 199-205 [download here]

– Nikolaev, B. and Rusakov, P. “Education and Happiness: An Alternative Hypothesis.” Applied Economics Letters. November 2015. DOI: 10.1080/13504851.2015.1111982 [download here]

– Nikolaev, B. “Economic Freedom & Subjective Well-being,” in Economic Behavior, Economic Freedom, and Entrepreneurship. Edited by Richard Cebula, Joshua Hall, Franklin Mixon, and James Payne, editors. Edward Elgar Publishing, 2015: 178-193.

2014

– Nikolaev, B. and Burns, A. “Inter-generational Mobility and Subjective Well-being – Evidence from the General Social Survey.” Journal of Behavioral & Experimental Economics. 53 (1) 2014: 82-96 [download here]

– Nikolaev, B. “Using Experiments and Media to Introduce Game Theory Into the Principles Classroom.” Journal of Private Enterprise. 29 (2) 2014: 149-160 [download here]

– Nikolaev, B. “Economic Freedom and Quality of Life – Evidence from the OECD’s Your Better Life Index.” Journal of Private Enterprise. 29 (3) 2014: 1-31 [download here]

2013

– Hall, J., Nikolaev, B., Pulito, J. and vanMetre, B. “The Effect of Personal and Economic Freedom on Entrepreneurial Activity: Evidence from a New State-Level Freedom Index.” American Journal of Entrepreneurship. 6(1) 2013: 85-99