The Influence of Peace Corps Service on the Entrepreneurial Leadership Proclivities of Returned Peace Corps Volunteers

Abstract

Peace Corps Volunteers spend 27 months working in developing countries around the world. They orchestrate and implement a myriad of projects in various fields, often entirely on their own. This paper aims to provide insights into how Peace Corps service affects volunteers' entrepreneurial leadership proclivities. To accomplish this a pre / post-test was administered to 74 Returned Peace Corps Volunteers participating in the Paul D. Coverdell Fellowship program at the University of Arizona. Respondents were surveyed to determine their proclivity toward using entrepreneurial strategies and their proclivity to be innovative. Service in the Peace Corps increased the Returned Peace Corps Volunteers' ability to hone their entrepreneurial strategies and innovate. The results showed an increase in the Returned Peace Corps Volunteers' entrepreneurial leadership proclivities after they had completed their service.