Study
| EST. READ TIME 1 MIN.Measuring Entrepreneurship: Conceptual Frameworks and Empirical Indicators
This study first presents the most important definitions of entrepreneurship and explores their similarities and differences. Then it examines the most widely cited and used measures of entrepreneurship and discusses their strengths and weaknesses. Finally, this study explores a number of empirical indicators that could be used to create a comprehensive measure of entrepreneurship.
Entrepreneurship has become a focal point of public policy as governments at all levels have made promoting entrepreneurship a priority. However, existing research is far from conclusive in terms of providing a comprehensive definition or measure of entrepreneurship. If entrepreneurship is not comprehensively defined or measured, then it is virtually impossible to understand where and why entrepreneurship flourishes, and there is no way to assess the effectiveness of public policies aimed at entrepreneurship. Therefore, the most pressing issue for this area of study is the development of a reasonable consensus as to the meaning of entrepreneurship and a measure of entrepreneurship that is reliable and easy to understand.
To help resolve this issue, this study first presents the most important definitions of entrepreneurship and explores their similarities and differences. Then it examines the most widely cited and used measures of entrepreneurship and discusses their strengths and weaknesses. Finally, this study explores a number of empirical indicators that could be used to create a comprehensive measure of entrepreneurship.
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Keith Godin
Keith Godin is a former Fraser Institute Senior Policy Analyst who published many studies on a range of policy issuesincluding entrepreneurship, labour regulation, labour market performance, taxation, and investment. His publications include: Crowding Out Private Equity: Canadian Evidence (2007), The Economic Costs of Capital Gains Taxes (2007), Measuring Labour Markets in Canada and the United States (2007), and Canadian Provincial Investment Climate Report: 2007 Edition (2007). He has also written shorter studies on fiscal policy and government failure as well as commentaries in newspapers across the country. Mr. Godin holds a Bachelor's Degree in Economics and a Master's Degree in Public Policy from Simon Fraser University. His thesis focused on entrepreneurship and venture capital.… Read more -
Jason Clemens
Executive Vice President, Fraser InstituteJason Clemens is the Executive Vice President of the Fraser Institute and the President of the Fraser Institute Foundation. Hehas an Honors Bachelors Degree of Commerce and a Masters Degree in Business Administration from the University of Windsor as well as a Post Baccalaureate Degree in Economics from Simon Fraser University. Before rejoining the Fraser Institute in 2012, he was the director of research and managing editor at the Ottawa-based Macdonald-Laurier Institute and prior to joining the MLI, Mr. Clemens spent a little over three years in the United States with the San Francisco-based Pacific Research Institute. He has published over 70 major studies on a wide range of topics, including taxation, government spending, labor market regulation, banking, welfare reform, health care, productivity, and entrepreneurship. He has published over 300 shorter articles, which have appeared in such newspapers as The Wall Street Journal, Investors Business Daily, Washington Post, Globe and Mail, National Post, and a host of U.S., Canadian, and international newspapers. Mr. Clemens has been a guest on numerous radio and television programs across Canada and the United States. He has appeared before committees of both the House of Commons and the Senate in Canada as an expert witness and briefed state legislators in California. In 2006, he received the coveted Canada’s Top 40 Under 40 award presented by Caldwell Partners as well as an Odyssey Award from the University of Windsor. In 2011, he was awarded (along with his co-authors) the prestigious Sir Antony Fisher International Memorial Award for the best-selling book The Canadian Century. In 2012, the Governor General of Canada on behalf of Her Majesty the Queen, presented Mr. Clemens with the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in recognition of his contributions to the country.… Read more -
Niels Veldhuis
President, Fraser Institute
Niels Veldhuis serves as President of the Fraser Institute, Canada’s most influential think tank.In his over 20-plus-year career in publicpolicy, Niels has authored six books and more than 50 peer-reviewed studies on a wide range of economic topics. In 2011, he was awarded (along with his co-authors) the prestigious Sir Antony Fisher International Memorial Award for the best-selling book, The Canadian Century.Highly regarded for his opinions and perspectives on major economic and social issues, Niels appears regularly in the media across Canada and the United States. He has written hundreds of commentaries that have appeared in over 50 newspapers, including the Globe and Mail, Wall Street Journal, National Post, and The Economist.Known for his ability to explain matters of economics and government policy in a down-to-earth and easily understood manner, Niels travels widely across North America. His speaking engagements extend to diverse audiences, including business groups, corporate gatherings, community organizations, and students.Niels has had the privilege of sharing the stage and moderating discussions with prominent business and political leaders from around the world. Notable individuals include Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, and BC Premier Gordon Campbell. He has also moderated discussions with distinguished Canadian journalists such as Chantal Herbert, Andrew Coyne, and Rex Murphy, as well as diplomats such as Canada’s Ambassador to China and Israel’s Ambassador to Canada. Niels moderated a discussion between United States Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush in 2011 and has facilitated conversations with impactful authors like Mosab Hassan Yousef (author of "Son of Hamas") and Lord Conrad Black.Niels Veldhuis is an alumnus of Simon Fraser University, was one of Vancouver’s Top 40 under 40 by Business in Vancouver in 2010, and is a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO).… Read more