Social Science Working Paper

Department of Economics
Napier University

SOCIAL SCIENCE
WORKING PAPER
NO. 33

Defining Entrepreneurship – Implications for ICT, Social Enterprise and Regional and Local Development Policies.

Ronald W. McQuaid May 2000

Department of Economics
Napier University

SOCIAL SCIENCE WORKING PAPER NO. 33

Defining Entrepreneurship – Implications for ICT, Social Enterprise and Regional and Local Development Policies.

Ronald W. McQuaid May 2000

( Ronald McQuaid Series Editor: Dr Ronald McQuaid

ISBN 1 873869 33 9

Department of Economics
Napier University
Sighthill Court
Edinburgh EH11 4BN
UK
FAX [phone]

Abstract

Many national, regional or local agencies have created policies to directly support entrepreneurs so as to increase the number of businesses or aid the competitiveness and expansion of existing small firms. This Working paper considers what is meant by the term entrepreneurship and the implications of these meanings for different policies to promote entrepreneurship, including social entrepreneurship. These include predominantly macro-level policies such as economic stability, taxation and regulations, together with regional and local policies focusing upon advice, training, finance, technology transfer, markets access, physical infrastructure and the characteristics of the locality.
1. Introduction

Entrepreneurship has been long been given a key role in employment creation and economic development in many countries. For instance, the European Commission Erikki Liikanen declared in 1999 that the European Union needs to create an ‘enterprise culture’ as “entrepreneurship is at the top of the public policy agenda because there are clear indications that a country’s entrepreneurial activity is linked to its economic prosperity.” Similarly in the UK the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1999) stated that the strategy of the

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