The policy influence on the development of entrepreneurship in higher education

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to describe and analyze the foundation of higher education policies that have promoted entrepreneurship in Sweden since the mid-1990s. Design/methodology/approach To do this, the authors use Bacchi’s (1999) “What’s the problem?” approach. A central assumption of which is that perceptions of a problem affect how its solution looks. Bacchi’s approach is described as a type of discourse analysis. Findings The authors show that problem definition within policies regarding the role and importance of entrepreneurship within higher education has explicitly been directed toward equipping individuals to develop action-orientated skills in the field of entrepreneurship. The equipment of action-oriented skills has implicitly been directed to individuals’ personal initiatives to meet explicit social and collective problems, fueling a neoliberal development and fostering an enterprising culture. The authors also show how policy creates a discourse, which may be characterized as “useful, unreflective citizens.” Research limitations/implications The study addresses the implicit steering that is being exercised through policies. This steering needs to be questioned and problematized in order to avoid blindly following the implied course of action. Originality/value The study contributes to current understanding of how entrepreneurship in higher education is both governed explicitly and implicitly, by policy, through the creation of new norms in society.

A systematic literature review of the evolution of pedagogy in entrepreneurial education research

“…Ball, 1989;, as their point of departure is the creation of an understanding of the behaviour of small business owners and entrepreneurs, but they have also been highly influenced by policies promoting the importance of developing entrepreneurialism among the population (e.g. Hägg and Schölin, 2018;Laalo and Heinonen, 2016;Lackéus, 2017;. Currently, there is a lack of consensus about what target entrepreneurial education should aim for, which creates inconclusiveness in terms of where the field is heading and how to address target audiences (e.g.…”

Evaluating service quality and performance of higher education institutions: a systematic review and a post-COVID-19 outlook

“…Therefore, they compete for funding and for student numbers in a global marketplace (OECD, 2019;Hägg and Schölin, 2018;Tian and Martin, 2014). Very often, they are using the corporate language as they formulate marketing plans, set objectives to control their resources, and are becoming customer-driven (Lynch, 2015;Sojkin, Bartkowiak and Skuza, 2012;Naidoo, Shankar and Veer, 2011;Ng and Forbes, 2009).…”

“…HEIs are expected to adapt to ongoing developments in their macro and micro-environments as they are usually operating with budget constraints (Camilleri, 2019). Therefore, they compete for funding and for student numbers in a global marketplace (OECD, 2019; Hägg and Schölin, 2018; Tian and Martin, 2014). Very often, they are using the corporate language as they formulate marketing plans, set objectives to control their resources and are becoming customer-driven (Lynch, 2015; Sojkin et al , 2012; Naidoo et al , 2011; Ng and Forbes, 2009).…”

Diretrizes de Educação em Empreendedorismo no Setor Público: a Perspectiva das Escolas de Governo

“…The pace of exponential growth in entrepreneurship education at the global level is related to the fact that governments regard it as a "sort of salvation" to neutralize economic recessions (Hägg & Schölin, 2018) within the following perspectives: 1) Creation of courses and programs that aim to generate learning about entrepreneurship; 2) Focus on learning for or in entrepreneurship; 3) Creating learning through entrepreneurship. This second perspective is the one that is relevant because it concerns learning for or in entrepreneurship as students prepare for the role of the entrepreneur (Hägg & Schölin, 2018). It has the support of an active pedagogy that is more attentive to the entrepreneurial process.…”