Developing countries often rank high in measures of entrepreneurship and self-employment. One explanation for this is, of course, that there is no other way to earn a living. Another explanation is that there is actually a lot of purchasing power in many of the countries. People have a low income per person, but their total income is high. There are opportunities to be seized here, for both domestic and foreign entrepreneurs.
The needs for new services and products are great, although they may look different compared to the West. For example, in a country that doesn’t have a functioning electricity grid – but does have sunshine most of the year – a solar-powered mobile phone charger is likely to be a fast seller. Much of the entrepreneurship in developing countries has both social and commercial aspects. Talking about either/or is easily misleading, says Professor Elizabeth Gatewood, who addresses several aspects of entrepreneurship in developing countries during this lecture.
Please note that the lecture will be held in English.
