• Describe, compare and critically discuss theories and concepts that address the particular challenges and opportunities for entrepreneurship in developing countries
• Apply relevant concepts and theories to concrete cases of entrepreneurship in developing countries
• Critically discuss the methods used to understand entrepreneurship in developing countries
• Use relevant tools and methods to formulate a concept for a venture that contributes to development

Entrepreneurship is increasingly recognized as playing a key role in economic growth and poverty alleviation, and the rapidly growing markets of developing countries are often portrayed as booming with unexploited opportunities for entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs in developing countries are, however, often faced with a range of challenges related to difficult business environments with many institutional voids, resource constraints, and widespread poverty. While such challenges often act as barriers to business start-up and growth, resource scarcity and uncertain institutional contexts may also create opportunities for entrepreneurship. Accordingly new forms of entrepreneurship, which seek to bring solutions to poverty, environmental degradation, and institutional voids, are gaining salience. While such initiatives are diverse and span for-profit, non-profit and hybrid organizations, a common element is that they employ business principles to generate social, environmental and/or institutional change.

The course “Entrepreneurship for Development” examines the opportunities and challenges for entrepreneurship in developing countries in Africa, Latin America and Asia. The course examines different theoretical approaches to entrepreneurship and scrutinizes different forms of entrepreneurship (such as entrepreneurship in the informal economy, social entrepreneurship, entrepreneurship with the Base of the Pyramid (BoP), sustainability entrepreneurship and institutional entrepreneurship). The course examines the relationship between entrepreneurship and development and scrutinizes how entrepreneurship can contribute to sustainable economic growth and poverty reduction. The course directs attention to the influence of the institutional, economic and cultural environment for entrepreneurship levels, opportunities and strategies, and scrutinizes how business models are adapted to the particular contexts of their operation.  

First, students will be introduced to theoretical perspectives on entrepreneurship and will unravel the links between entrepreneurship and development. Second, students will discuss methodological issues involved in studying entrepreneurship in developing countries. Third, students will examine different forms of entrepreneurship and will scrutinize different concrete entrepreneurship cases and business models. Finally, students will generate their own ideas and will formulate a concept for a venture in a developing country.

To be announced on Learn, but most likely:

Dolan, C. (2012): The new face of development: the ‘bottom of the pyramid’ entrepreneurs, Anthropology Today 28, 3-7. 

Khavul, S and Bruton, G.D. (2013): Harnessing innovation for change: sustainability and poverty in developing countries, Journal of Management Studies 50(2): 285-306.

Mair, J. and Marti, I. (2009): Entrepreneurship in and around institutional voids: a case study from Bangladesh, Journal of Business Venturing 24: 419-435 (17). 
 

Mair, J. and Schoen, O. (2006): Successful social entrepreneurial business models in the context of developing economies: An explorative study, International Journal of Emerging Markets 2 (1): 54-68. 
 

Osterwalder, A., & Pigneur, Y. (2010).Business Model Generation: A handbook for Visionaries, Game Changers, And Challengers. Wiley.

Panum, K. and Hansen, M.W. (2014): Successful social enterprises in Africa: Case studies of six social enterprises in Kenya, CBDS Working Paper Series Working Paper No. 02.

Read, S., Sarasvathy, S., Dew, N., Wiltbank, R. and Ohlsson, A.-V. (2011) Effectual entrepreneurship. London: Routledge.

Salkowitz, R. (2010): Young world rising: how youth, technology, and entrepreneurship are changing the world from the bottom up. Hoboken Wiley.

Thompson, N., Kiefer, K. and York, J.G. (2011): Distinctions not dichotomies: exploring social, sustainable and environmental entrepreneurship, Social and Sustainable Entrepreneurship 13: 201-229.

Tracey, P. and Phillips, N. (2011): Entrepreneurship in emerging markets: strategies for new venture creation in uncertain institutional contexts, Management International Review 51:23–39.  

Zott, C., Amit, R. and Lorenzo, M. (2011): The business model: recent developments and future research. Journal of Management 37.4: 1019-1042.