Title: The role of ICTs in building entrepreneurial capacity in the regions of the future

Authors: Maria Giaoutzi, Vassilios Vescoukis

Addresses: National Technical University of Athens, Department of Geography and Regional Planning, NTUA Campus, Zografou, 15780, Greece. ' National Technical University of Athens, Department of Geography and Regional Planning, NTUA Campus, Zografou, 15780, Greece

Abstract: This paper recognises the rising importance of entrepreneurship in regional and national economic development policy and programming. However, it is built on an assessment of the ICT industry and its destabilising (deconstructing) impact on economic and industry structure and an associated radical change in the international division of labour in the production process. This paper builds a four class entrepreneurial typology that sorts entrepreneurs from a little to a great deal of experience and then demonstrates differential demands and needs of ICT for entrepreneurial action. This serves as a framework for assessing policies that purport to promote entrepreneurship and associated behaviour in regions. Underlying assumptions of this paper are that ICT and entrepreneurship are tied together and the relationship is a strong driver of both regional and national development.

Keywords: entrepreneurship; ICT impact; regional development; entrepreneurial capacity; information technology; communication; entrepreneurial typology; national development.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEIM.2006.009874

International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management, 2006 Vol.6 No.3, pp.191 - 204

Published online: 21 May 2006 *

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