Entrepreneurship Education: A Global Consideration From Practice to Policy Around the World

World of Work September 23, 2015

As entrepreneurship continues to gain momentum and visibility as an engine of global economic development, it is critical to understand and optimize the role that entrepreneurship education plays.

Based on a detailed review of the literature on the entrepreneurship education ecosystems and frameworks in the United States, China, Finland, and Qatar, this report identifies the current state of entrepreneurship education and training around the world, and establishes an inventory of best practices. The discussion of common themes across the four country cases, as well as examples of unique in-country qualities, provides recommendations and implications on which policy makers can act and experiment.

Authors

WISE Research - Babson Team

Dr. Patricia G. Greene

Paul T. Babson Chair in Entrepreneurial Leadership and Academic Director, Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses and 10,000 Women

Dr. Candida G. Brush

Franklin W. Olin Chair in Entrepreneurship and Vice Provost of Global Entrepreneurial Leadership, Babson College

Dr. Elaine J. Eisenman

Professor of Management Practice and Dean, Babson Executive and Enterprise Education

Dr. Heidi Neck

Jeffry A. Timmons Professor of Entrepreneurial Studies and Director of the Babson Symposia for Entrepreneurship Educators

Mr. Sam Perkins

Senior Researcher, Babson College

The Babson research and writing team for this project brings a unique set of perspectives to the topic of entrepreneurship education around the world. Brush is the director of all things entrepreneurial at Babson, Eisenman is Dean of the School of Executive Education and an expert in training and development, Greene is the global Academic Director of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses and 10,000 Women initiatives, Neck is an internationally recognized innovator in entrepreneurship education and the director of the Symposium for Entrepreneurship Educators, and Perkins is an experienced case writer focused on transforming the theoretical to the practical and actionable. They have learned to build on their different approaches to ask and answer difficult questions.

This report has been reviewed by:

  • Dr. Maia Chankseliani, Research Fellow, Department of Education, St. Hilda’s College, Oxford University
  • Dr. Min Tang, Chairperson of Leping Social Entrepreneur Foundation and Executive Vice President of China Social Entrepreneur Foundation

With contributions from:

  • Mervi Jansson, Director, Education Partnerships ; Omnia, The Joint Authority of Education in the Espoo Region
  • Bin Yang, Ph.D., Vice President, Provost, Tsinghua University ; Professor, School of Economics and Management, Tsinghua University
  • Tieying Xu, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Researcher, School of Economics and Management, Tsinghua University
  • Luping Xu, Ph.D., Director, Center of Open FIESTA, Tsinghua University
  • Dr. Mahmoud M. Abdellatif Khalil, Assistant Professor of Economics, Department of Finance and Economics ; Director, Center For Entrepreneurship, College of Business and Economics, Qatar University

Research Organization

Babson College
KVS
Qatar University