Confirmed Keynote Speakers and Panellists
Professor David Smallbone, Kingston University
Professor Francis Greene, Edinburgh University
Professor Monder Ram, Birmingham University
Louise Marshall, Senior Policy Advisor, Department for Business, Energy and Industry Strategy, England
Mary McAllan, Director of Economic Development, Scottish Government
Daniel Mahoney, Deputy Director and Head of Economic Research, Centre for Policy Studies, England
Philip Salter, Director, The Entrepreneurs Network, England
About the Workshop
This one day workshop is targeted at international entrepreneurship PhD candidates, early career academics and leading faculty members who are undertaking research into the current state of enterprise policy and understanding how theory impacts practice in the entrepreneurship domain. Policy-makers are also invited from national and international governments to allow for a wider understanding of the policy context. The workshop offers networking, knowledge exchange, paper development and mentoring from key people in the field of enterprise policy
Background
Entrepreneurship has become fundamental in the economic strategies of governments around the world. Entrepreneurial activity is recognised to not only drive economic growth, but also increase employment, encourage innovation, and strengthen international competitiveness. It also offers the potential in contributing to overcoming current social and economic challenges as governments emerge slowly from crisis and move beyond austerity. As such, enterprise policy has arisen as a popular choice of policy for governments; however much of it is ineffective. To ensure that it is effective and has a positive impact on economies and societies, it is important that we understand the policy process itself because there is a need to examine the historical, temporal, institutional, spatial, and social contexts, both at national and international levels.
The aim of the workshop is to facilitate sharing of knowledge, advice, experiences and practices of enterprise policy in an inclusive and supportive environment. In addition, the workshop will lead to collaborative partnerships with policy- makers to work closely alongside academics to promote enterprise policy and create a new and lasting community. Furthermore, attendees (PhD and early career researchers) at the workshop will develop their research papers in preparation for a number of renowned international conferences, in particular the Babson College Entrepreneurship Research Conference, Academy of Management, and the European Council of Small Business RENT Conference. Moreover, a proposal for a Special Issue on "Enterprise Policy: The application of theory and progression of policy and practice" to Regional Studies is currently in progress and there is further chance of submitting full papers to the International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behaviour and Research: "Innovations in entrepreneurship support: alternatives, opportunities and future agendas".
The workshop has two main developmental objectives. The first is to assist in developing academic and policy knowledge transfer through keynote addresses and panel discussions with experts which includes feedback and discussion of participants' papers. The second is to provide excellent networking and mentoring opportunities with support, encouragement, recognition and validation for participants, in particular PhD researchers and early career academics.