Rural Technology-Based Entrepreneurs: Catalonian Experiences

Abstract

Entrepreneurship is now an important element of economic growth and prosperity for many regions of the world. Entrepreneurial activity has positive repercussions on employment generation (Storey 1982, 1988, 1994; Birley 1985; Kirchhoff and Phillips 1988, 1992; White and Reynolds 1996) and on economic growth (Kent 1982; Sexton 1986; Dubini 1989; Storey 1994; Wennekers and Thurik 1999). But according to a US National Commission on Entrepreneurship report (NCOE 2001) the most important contribution of entrepreneurship at the local level is “innovation.” Entrepreneurship and innovation, combined, have four principal benefits (NCOE 2001, p. 1): Improved quality of lifeCreation of new jobsImproved economic competitivenessCreation of economic growth and new wealth The local spillover benefits of innovative entrepreneurship are profound (Drucker 1984, 1985; Pavitt et al. 1987; Acs and Audretsch 1988; Acs and Varga 2004). Since World War II, small entrepreneurs in the USA have been responsible for 67% of inventions and 95% of radical innovations (Timmons 1998), fuelling job creation and economic growth. As a result, promoting technology-based firms has a fundamental role in regional development strategies.