Stimuli for entrepreneurship

Stimulating entrepreneurial activity has become a priority for government policy around the globe. This dissertation investigates efforts to promote entrepreneurship at the individual, company, and regional level in three self contained essays. First, at the individual level, the effectiveness of entrepreneurship education in nurturing entrepreneurial skills, attitudes, and intentions is examined among high school students. Second, at the company level, the potential of short-term support schemes to accelerate the growth of early-stage ventures is explored. Third, at the regional level, the development of entrepreneurial activity precipitated by transformational events at large corporations presents the most extensive unit of analysis. Together these studies inspire a nuanced discussion of how entrepreneur ship can be encouraged at different stages of development and in various settings.