Entrepreneurship policy: issues and challenges

ABSTRACT

This article explores some current issues concerning entrepreneurship policy. It begins by examining the case for and against entrepreneurship policy followed by an analysis of the following issues: (1) the importance of context, which refers to the circumstances in which the policy was introduced and possibly maintained or modified; (2) the need for both researchers and practitioners to pay more explicit attention to the policy process which includes policy formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation; (3) the call for evidence-based policy in which it is suggested that what constitutes evidence is not always agreed between researchers, practitioners and policy-makers; (4) the need for a strengthened commitment to policy evaluation and (5) public procurement as an under-utilized type of policy intervention, yet one which is potentially very powerful.

KEYWORDS:

• entrepreneurship policy
• small business
• evidence-based policy
• public procurement
• policy process
• policy-makers