Innovation and entrepreneurship as drivers of economic development

Abstract

Purpose The aim of this study is to explore which factors of entrepreneurship and innovation influence economic development under the quadruple helix model, contrasting Southern and Northern Europe. Design/methodology/approach In this study, secondary data are collected from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor databases, Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development and Global Competitiveness Index, for four countries in the North and four Southern European countries, for the period from 2007 to 2015. Data was analyzed with SPSS 22.0 software and subjected to several multivariate statistical tests. Findings The results show a statistically significant difference in the variables of the four quadruple helix model dimensions. This means that Northern European countries (Finland, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden) display better results on innovation and entrepreneurship than Southern European countries (Spain, Greece, Italy and Portugal). The results also showed that per capita gross domestic expenditure on R&D is positively related to government and university dimensions, with significant differences between Southern and Northern European countries. Originality/value It is hoped that this study will contribute to new evidence on the factors of innovation and entrepreneurship that are decisive for economic development. To the traditional quadruple helix model, control variables were added to meet the endogenous characteristics of the countries.

Innovative entrepreneurial behavior in high-income European countries

“…Investment in universities and incentive policies will allow for greater cooperation between companies and increase technology transfer and innovation. The implementation of these policies will allow Southern European countries to increase economic development, thus reducing their differences from Nordic countries (Medeiros et al. , 2020).…”

“…Most entrepreneurship definitions refer to using available resources creatively, creating value, taking risks, looking for opportunities and innovating (Medeiros et al. , 2020).…”

“…Most entrepreneurship definitions refer to using available resources creatively, creating value, taking risks, looking for opportunities and innovating (Medeiros et al, 2020). Schumpeter (1934) highlighted the importance of innovation in business and economics.…”

Regional development and the institutional environment for franchise chains: frontiers of small and medium-sized cities

“…Specifically, it generates knowledge about the insertion of enterprises based on the franchise model in regional markets of small and medium populations. A second feature involves understanding the insertion of the franchise in large and heterogeneous emerging markets, not being restricted to broad contexts involving several countries (Farinha et al , 2018; Medeiros et al , 2020). In this way, we note that the research we conduct contributes to the theory of economic and geographic perspectives.…”

“…Thus, this study provides a specific analysis of the competitive conditions of regional markets, particularly, the largest emerging market in Latin America. This generates new knowledge in the face of studies that focus on understanding the competitiveness between countries, not specifying regional particularities (Farinha et al , 2018; Medeiros et al , 2020). At the same time, the article has implications for the management practices of franchises by directing the location choices that best enable the concept of their franchises.…”