This report is the seventh edition in the series of Missing Entrepreneurs reports produced through an ongoing collaboration on inclusive entrepreneurship policies between the Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities (CFE) of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) led by Lamia Kamal-Chaoui, Director, and the Directorate General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion (DG EMPL) of the European Commission, led by Joost Korte, Director-General.
This report is part of the programme of work of the OECD Committee on SMEs and Entrepreneurship (CSMEE) and the OECD Local Economic and Employment Development (LEED) Programme. The work of these two committees is supported by the OECD Secretariat, notably the CFE SME and Entrepreneurship Division (SMEE) led by Lucia Cusmano, Acting Head of Division, and the Local Employment, Skills and Social Innovation (LESI) Division, led by Karen Maguire, Head of Division.
The report was prepared by David Halabisky, Project Co-ordinator, Inclusive and Sustainable Entrepreneurship under the direction of Jonathan Potter, Head of Entrepreneurship Policy and Analysis Unit of the OECD SMEE Division. Chapters 8 and 9 draw on expert papers prepared for the OECD by Prof. Ewald Kibler and Dr. Bernadetta Ginting-Szczesny, Aalto University (Chapter 8) and Prof. Dr. Alexander S. Kritikos, DIW Berlin (Chapter 9). Contributions were made by Helen Shymanski (Chapters 2, 3, 4, 8 and 9, and Country Profiles) and Pablo Shah (Country Profiles), both of the OECD CFE SMEE Division. Additional inputs were prepared by Oualid Mokhantar of the OECD CFE SMEE Division.
Important data contributions were received from Prof. Jonathan Levie of the Global Entrepreneurship Research Association.
The authors are grateful for comments and suggestions from Nadim Ahmad, Deputy Director of the OECD CFE, Kristine Langenbucher and Karen Maguire of the OECD CFE LESI Division, and Lucia Cusmano and Céline Kauffmann of the OECD CFE SMEE Division. Valuable suggestions were also provided by Yves Breem, International Migration Unit, and Christopher Prinz, Skills and Employability Division, both of the OECD Directorate for Employment, Labour and Social Affairs.
The report also benefited from substantial inputs from the European Commission under the direction of Ruth Paserman, Director for “Funds, Programming and Implementation” of DG EMPL. Key contributions were made by Julien De Beys and Cornelia Grosser of DG EMPL. Additional inputs were received from Alfonso Arpaia, Laurent Aujean, Monika Chaba, Lars Engsted, Shui Beam Lam, Fabiana Pierini, Immaculada Placencia Porrero, Pirkko Pyorala and Valdis Zagorskis, all of DG EMPL, as well as Besart Kabashi and Ursula Hoenich of the Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs (DG HOME).
The country profiles in Part III of this report were based on a set of Country Assessment Notes that were prepared for each EU Member State by David Halabisky, Cynthia Lavison, Pablo Shah and Helen Shymanski of the OECD CFE SMEE Division in collaboration with a network of national inclusive entrepreneurship policy experts:
Austria: Eva Heckl and Karin Petzlberger, Austrian Institute for SME Research;
Belgium: Honorine Kuete, Centre d'Action Interculturelle ASBL à Namur;
Bulgaria: Prof. Zhelyu Vladimirov, Sofia University and Prof. Silviya Georgieva, University of National And World Economy;
Croatia: Prof. Slavica Singer and Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek;
Cyprus: Prof. Dr. Angelika Kokkinaki, Dr. Chrysostomi Maria Kyrillou and Ms. Sylvia Koukounidou, University of Nicosia;
Czech Republic: Lucie Bučinová, Regio-Partner;
Denmark: Annemarie Jepsen;
Estonia: Marina Kaas, Serioso Ltd.;
Finland: Prof. Jarna Heinonen, Turku School of Economics;
France: Prof. Nadine Levratto, University Paris Nanterre;
Germany: Prof. Mirko Bendig, IU Internationale Hochschule;
Greece: Thanos Paraschos and George Krachtopoulos, Startup Universe;
Hungary: Dr. Petra Reszkető, Budapest Institute;
Ireland: Prof. Thomas Cooney, Dublin Institute of Technology;
Italy: Prof. Sergio Destefanis, University of Salerno;
Latvia: Prof. Arnis Sauka, Stockholm School of Economics in Riga;
Lithuania: Prof. Ruta Braziene, Vilnius University;
Luxembourg: Dr. Aline Muller, Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research;
Malta: Prof. Leonie Baldacchino and Ms. Kristina Buhagiar, University of Malta;
Netherlands: Dr. Jacqueline Snijders, Panteia;
Poland: dr hab. Ewa Lisowska, Warsaw School of Economics;
Portugal: Prof. Carla Susana da Encarnação Marques, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro;
Romania: Dr. Catalin Ghinararu, National Scientific Research Institute;
Slovak Republic: Prof. Anna Pilkova, Comenius University in Bratislava and Marian Letovanec, Slovak Business Agency;
Slovenia: Prof. Katja Crnogaj, University of Maribor;
Spain: Prof. Francisco Liñán Alcalde, Assoc. Prof. José Fernández Serrano and Assoc. Prof. Inmaculada Jaén Figueroa, University of Seville; and
Sweden: Prof. Carin Holmquist, Stockholm School of Economics.
These Country Assessment Notes benefited from feedback and inputs from relevant national ministries and key stakeholders in each EU Member State.
Finally, this report would not have been possible without administrative support from Simone Hegge and Heather Mortimer Charoy, publication support from Pilar Philip and Isabella Edgecombe, and communications support from Pauline Arbel, Natalie Lagorce, Shayne MacLachlan and Finbar Pearson, all of the OECD CFE.