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Investigates the learning process in innovation and, in particular, the collective learning which underlines different types of innovation within the context of smallto medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Argues that innovation is often the result of interaction of various subjects, technologies, people and organisations, and that it is the learning that is derived from such interaction which underpins innovative activity. SMEs are better able to innovate when they are part of clusters because it is through the networking process and the management of externalities (key elements in clustering) that they develop new products, processes and services.

The social, economic and political systems of former communist countries have faced considerable changes since the late 1980s. Most countries in Eastern and Central Europe have undergone their own individual brand of transition from a centrally planned, command system to a more or less liberalized, Western-style market economy Many observers agree that in general there is still a great deal to be done to achieve the key goal of economic liberalization, but there is little agreement among academics as to what would constitute an effective and stabilizing transition in the region. In common with contemporary Western beliefs and attitudes, much of the new thinking and hopes for economic regeneration in Eastern and Central Europe have centred on entrepreneurship and small business development. In the early years of transition, the influx of international aid became a stumbling block to the establishment of the kind of support systems that had proved crucial for the survival and growth of small businesses in Western Europe. The demand for entrepreneurial skills and the deficiencies inherent in their new labour markets exposed post-communist economies to external shocks such as those caused by the termination of COMECON agreements and the Gulf War. The longitudinal research on which this paper is based was closely modelled on ongoing work by the authors, which involves an in-depth investigation of the ‘paradox of training’, the difference between attitude and practice, that exists in the small business sector of the UK economy. Following the results of a pilot study undertaken in the UK, the research was extended to include small business sectors across Eastern, Central and Western Europe.

This paper examines the three concepts of learning, knowledge and innovation in the context of the triple relationship of government, industry and higher education, with particular reference to the UK. The authors argue that a consideration of the three concepts enables a proper understanding of entrepreneurship and its role in sustaining competitiveness for the wider economy and value in society. They conclude that entrepreneurship not only provides the spur for economic development but also shows the route forward to managing personal and organizational development in the new economy. It is through entrepreneurship, the authors suggest, that the fundamental requirements of learning, knowledge management and innovation can be effectively addressed.

PurposeTackling structural and emergent problems in the labour market, valorising skilled human capital (HC) for opportunity creation, economic development and growth, are some of the key drivers for graduate entrepreneurship. This paper aims to examine developments in Africa, focusing on the significance of improving human capital through graduate entrepreneurship to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in Nigeria.Design/methodology/approachBased on a unique Education Partnerships in Africa (EPA) project the paper adopts a conceptual and exploratory approach to understand the institutional, cultural and economic dimensions of change and the specific role of graduate entrepreneurship education and training in enabling productive outcomes, using an illustrative case study of the project to develop the arguments.FindingsKnowledge creation lies at the heart of entrepreneurship development in developing economies such as Nigeria. Knowledge creation (KC) for entrepreneurship (E) is based on human capital (HC) development. In circumstances of uneven growth in developing economies HC development is the only constant. Harnessing HC for entrepreneurship can be based on three sets of propositions derived from an examination of the relationship between KC, HC and E, which locate graduate entrepreneurship's role within a holistic, institutional framework.Originality/valueThe paper's originality lies in the development of a model for promoting and evaluating a holistic approach to graduate entrepreneurship in developing countries based on the targeting of MDGs. It offers new insights into the role of graduate entrepreneurship in economic and social development.