We investigate which countries have the highest potential to achieve entrepreneurial progress. This progress is defined using an entrepreneurial ladder with five successive steps: “never thought about starting a business”, “thinking about starting a business”, “taking steps to start a...

This paper compares (former) transition and non-transition economies in Europe and Asia with respect to the opportunities available to achieve entrepreneurial progress. In addition, the differential impacts of three perceived environmental barriers to new venture creation are investigated....

The scholarly literature often distinguishes between so-called opportunity and necessity entrepreneurship and between ‘‘pull’’ and ‘‘push’’ motivations. Despite the pervasive use of this terminology, empirical analyses are mostly based on a single country. The present paper...

This discussion paper resulted in a publication in <A HREF="http://people.few.eur.nl/vanderzwan/articles/Regional%20Studies%20Ladder%20Europe%20US.pdf">'Regional Studies'</A>, 2013, Volume 47, issue 5, pages 803-825.<P> We investigate which countries have the highest potential to achieve entrepreneurial progress. This progress is defined using an entrepreneurial ladder with five successive steps:...</p></a>

This paper investigates determinants of engagement in various stages of the entrepreneurial process while considering an individual's start-up motivation using 2007 survey data for 27 European countries and the US. Next to opportunity and necessity start-up motivations, we take into account...