Review - Academic influences on rural entrepreneurship: An autobiographical review of Hodge, Gladwin, North and Smallbone

摘要

Two years ago, I finished my PhD on the regional and local factors affecting renewable energy entrepreneurship before undertaking a 1 -year postdoctoral research project on green entrepreneurship and sustainable development in the European Union (EU). During this period, a rural context was at the centre of my research. While completing my PhD, I was given the opportunity to participate in many EU-funded initiatives targeting rural areas as I had been working at the Labour Institute for over 7 years. Through this experience, I realized how influential rurality is in shaping entrepreneurial behaviour. Rurality is a differentiating factor that strongly affects entrepreneurial culture, motivation and mindset. Approaching rural entrepreneur-ship through the eyes of an academic situated in a developed country, the concept of rural entrepreneurship focuses on deep social concerns related to the renaissance of areas which were abandoned during the industrial revolution in favour of the urban areas. The increasing body of research on rural enterprises is linked to rural community demands for an environmental and socially friendly way of life. Through entrepreneurship, rural areas can capitalize on advancing technological processes and increasing demand, which is mostly prevalent in developed countries, for a sustainable operating agro-food sector to bypass disinvestment in developmental. The potential for rural areas to catch up with urban areas is increasing as technology continues to generate opportunities (e.g. Blusi et al., 2013; Prieger, 2013; Velaga et al., 2012), and rural areas attract investment in renewable energy production (OECD, 2012).