Faculty
Thilde Langevang and guest lecturers

Course Coordinator
Thilde Langevang, Assistant Professor

Relevant Bachelor degree (e.g. Economics, Business Administration, Development Studies)

Entrepreneurship is generally recognised as playing a key role in economic growth and development. While traditional economic theory attributed economic change and development to the availability of production factors and technology, the Austrian economist Joseph Schumpeter argued that even if the right economic, institutional and political conditions are present, the private sector does not automatically become dynamic and sustainable. For that, a vibrant layer of entrepreneurs that can manage and exploit innovation and technology is needed. The entrepreneur fills a number of key functions in economic development by essentially showing an alertness for exploiting new opportunities, for instance as a coordinator of production factors; as a decision maker under uncertainty; as an agent of change; or as a gap filler. The entrepreneur may be motivated with ‘doing good’, with making money, or with both. Sometimes the entrepreneur is coming out of the local business environment, but in other instances he/she may ‘spin out’ of MNC subsidiaries, or even be based in a developed country. Sometimes the entrepreneur is creating a new firm, but in other instances, he/she operates within an existing firm (‘intra-preneurship’).

While much entrepreneurship literature is built on experiences in developed countries, policy makers have recently shown increasing interest in the role of entrepreneurship and innovation in generating economic growth and development in developing countries. Research has also started to examine the specific characteristics, traits and challenges of entrepreneurship in different developing countries. Understanding the relationship between entrepreneurship and development and identifying effective means to foster entrepreneurship requires that the diversity and dynamics of entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship in developing countries are better understood.

The course ‘Entrepreneurship for Development’ will explore who the entrepreneurs in developing countries are; their gender, age, culture, education and economic and class background, social networks, psychological traits etc. The course will also direct attention to the conditions of entrepreneurship in the institutional environment in different regions and countries, for example, by identifying the barriers in labour and capital markets for the creation of new firms, and will scrutinise the effectiveness of institutions and programmes aimed at promoting and fostering entrepreneurship.

The teaching will comprise lectures, case discussions and resource person presentations (e.g. entrepreneurs and representatives from organisations and programs that support entrepreneurs). First, students will be introduced to theoretical perspectives on entrepreneurship based on the required course literature. Second, students will hear presentations of real life experiences with entrepreneurship in developing countries. Third, students will scrutinise different cases and concrete initiatives aimed at promoting entrepreneurship in developing countries. Finally, students will analyse a project/ an investment in a developing country from an entrepreneurial perspective.

Among the lectures will be:

The course will enable the students to analyze, discuss and present various issues in relation to entrepreneurship. Moreover the course will enhance the students’ ability to move from theoretical knowledge of entrepreneurship in a development context to practical action.

By the end of the course the students should:

A mini-project of 10 pages with internal censor. In the mini project the students present and analyse, with point of departure in the theoretical literature, a project/ an investment in a developing country from an entrepreneurship perspective.