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Entrepreneurship as a pseudo-discipline has matured to the point where it has even begun to question the myths which have developed around it. As a panacea for the development ills of capitalism, studies have spanned various ideological viewpoints and methodological approaches. Spatially, entrepreneurship studies have now grown to include countries of the Global South and emerging economies, particularly those of Eastern Europe. This special issue extends this geographical reach to the small island developing states (SIDS) of the Caribbean, particularly the English-speaking Caribbean with a British colonial legacy rooted in the remnants of the plantation economy. The commencement of political independence in the 1960s has not resulted in any significant economic independence for the region as it remains dependent on foreign capital for investment, whilst its key sectors (tourism, offshore finance) remain subject to the volatility of the economies of the global north. These external factors aside, the papers in this special issue identify domestic and enterprise level constraints to the development of enterprise and entrepreneurship in the region. In this Introduction we place these, mostly micro-level studies, in a wider historical, macroeconomic and institutional framework and conclude that policy-makers need to better understand the concept of entrepreneurship and its role in achieving domestic and regional development goals. Even more challenging is our recommendation that those formulating and delivering these policies and practices do so with an entrepreneurial mindset.

Caribbean 1 economies have suffered from stagnant growth since the 1990s. This can be a feature of small developing economies and is a major concern for policy-makers. In this paper, we examine establishment-level data to gain a better understanding of the factors that constrain the growth of businesses in the region. In addition to documenting broad differences in obstacles to business within and across the region, we particularly focus on the main obstacles affecting small and medium-sized firms. The econometric analysis highlights three main barriers at a regional level: an inadequately educated workforce; access to finance; and crime, theft and disorder.However, there are variations at the country level and the analysis indicates clusters of countries that experience obstacles to similar degrees. The paper concludes with recommendations for alleviating the constraints to enterprise development and in stimulating economic growth.

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