From the 1940s to the 1980s large enterprises in Europe was clearly the dominant form of business organisation. Small businesses were believed to be less efficient than their larger counterparts and only marginally involved in innovative activities. This has gradually changed to the extent that, at present, national and supranational policy-makers have given strong priority to entrepreneurship and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Scholars argue that the outlook of the European economies has undergone a transformation from the managed to the entrepreneurial economy. This sharp change of direction has been primarily driven by a combination of factors including: the growing importance of the knowledge-economy in terms of occupational choices, factors of production and changing patterns of commercial activities; concerns for high unemployment rates, declining international competitiveness in comparison to the USA and Japan and rates of economic growth as well as an evidence of shifting patterns of consumer demand. Evidently, a new vision of the EU’s economic strategy has been conceived in terms of the belief that economic, social and environmental goals must go hand in hand in the 21st century. In the centre of this vision is the innovative entrepreneur who is believed to be a major ingredient for the revitalisation of European economies. The subject of entrepreneurship has been the topic of scholarship and research in a variety of academic fields. The interdisciplinary nature of scholarship reflects the subject as entrepreneurship itself is a multifaceted social and economic phenomenon. However, since there is no explicit horizontal entrepreneurship policy domain at the European level, the topic has not caught sufficient attention from European Union public policy analysts.
The main purpose of the dissertation is to discuss how the EU accommodates the image of ‘entrepreneurial economy’ within its policy-making apparatus. A generalisation of ‘European’ entrepreneurial economy has been made which underlines the supranational level of analysis and gives more attention to what has been undertaken collectively rather than individually by Member States.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- I Defining entrepreneurship
- II The role of entrepreneurship for the EU's economic strategy
- 1. The Schumpeter Mark I regime (first decades of the 20th century).
- 2. The Schumpeter Mark II regime or the “Managed Economy” (from the 1940s to the 1970s).
- 3. The Entrepreneurial Economy (from the late 1970s onwards)
- III Entrepreneurship policy
- IV Determinants of entrepreneurship
- V Fostering entrepreneurship in Europe
- Conclusion
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This dissertation aims to analyze the EU's approach to entrepreneurship and the "entrepreneurial economy" within its policy-making framework. It examines the evolving role of entrepreneurship in Europe, tracing its history and significance for the EU's economic strategy. The dissertation explores the determinants of entrepreneurship at various levels – individual, industry, and country – and evaluates different policy approaches designed to promote entrepreneurship within the EU.- The historical evolution of entrepreneurship in Europe
- The role of entrepreneurship in the EU's economic strategy
- Determinants of entrepreneurship at different levels
- Entrepreneurship policy in the EU
- The impact of policy interventions on entrepreneurial activity
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
- Chapter I: This chapter addresses the question of how entrepreneurship is defined at a conceptual level. It explores the various interpretations of entrepreneurship and highlights its focus on the discovery of commercial opportunities by creative individuals.
- Chapter II: This chapter traces the increasing importance of entrepreneurship in Europe. It analyzes the historical perception of entrepreneurship and its significance for the EU's future economic strategy. The chapter presents three hypotheses explaining the re-emergence of entrepreneurship in the 1980s in developed economies.
- Chapter III: This chapter provides an understanding of entrepreneurship policy and the rationale behind policy-makers' interventions in the market. It explores the objectives and potential benefits of government intervention in promoting entrepreneurship.
- Chapter IV: This chapter focuses on the determinants of entrepreneurship. It examines the factors shaping the extent of entrepreneurial activity, providing insights into how policy could be used to promote entrepreneurship. The chapter explores determinants at the level of the individual (micro), the industry (meso), and the country (macro).
- Chapter V: This chapter investigates how entrepreneurship policy is designed at the EU-level. Drawing on The Eclectic Framework of Entrepreneurship, the chapter evaluates five types of entrepreneurship policies in the European context.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
This dissertation explores key concepts related to entrepreneurship, European economic strategy, and policy-making within the EU context. It examines factors influencing entrepreneurial activity, analyzing both individual and macroeconomic determinants. The work focuses on the role of innovation, knowledge-economy, and market intervention in shaping the entrepreneurial landscape in Europe. Key terms include: entrepreneurship, entrepreneurial economy, EU economic strategy, determinants of entrepreneurship, entrepreneurship policy, knowledge-economy, and market intervention.- Quote paper
- Veronika Minkova (Author), 2010, European Entrepreneurial Culture, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/179296
