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Public policy to promote entrepreneurship: a call to arms

Author

Listed:
  • Zoltan Acs

    (George Mason University
    London School of Economics)

  • Thomas Åstebro

    (HEC Paris)

  • David Audretsch

    (Indiana University)

  • David T. Robinson

    (Duke University)

Abstract

We debate the motivation for and effectiveness of public policies to encourage individuals to become entrepreneurs. Reviewing established evidence we find that most Western world policies do not greatly reduce or solve any market failures but instead waste taxpayers’ money, encourage those already intent on becoming entrepreneurs, and mostly generate one-employee businesses with low-growth intentions and a lack of interest in innovating. Most policy initiatives that would have the effect of promoting valuable entrepreneurship would not be recognizable as such, because they would primarily address other market failures: A central-payer health care would remove healthcare-related distortions affecting employment choices; greater STEM education would produce more engineers of which some start valuable new firms; and labor market reform to encourage hiring immigrants in jobs they have been educated for would reduce inefficient allocation of talent to entrepreneurship.

Suggested Citation

  • Zoltan Acs & Thomas Åstebro & David Audretsch & David T. Robinson, 2016. "Public policy to promote entrepreneurship: a call to arms," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 47(1), pages 35-51, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:sbusec:v:47:y:2016:i:1:d:10.1007_s11187-016-9712-2
    DOI: 10.1007/s11187-016-9712-2
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Entrepreneurship; Public policy; Social welfare;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J50 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor-Management Relations, Trade Unions, and Collective Bargaining - - - General

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