This report examines the availability of quantitative and qualitative information, including their appearance in public and policy discussion, of five emerging forms of entrepreneurship (one-person enterprises, part-time entrepreneurs, parallel entrepreneurs, serial entrepreneurs and business transfers/successions) across Europe. This mapping exercise was done to provide an overview of how much these types of business activity are dealt with at national level
Selected findings
Generally, one-person enterprises are part of the public measures and policy debates in almost all Member States. Policy initiatives aim to promote entrepreneurship by offering entrepreneurial consulting, with some Member States targeting specific groups, for example women or young persons. Policy initiatives also include entrepreneurial education and training, the reduction of administrative burdens or the improvement of framework conditions for doing business.
The notion of part-time entrepreneurs is often associated with one-person entrepreneurs. The part-time entrepreneurial business models are generally considered a temporary and intermediate stage from being employed to becoming an enterprise with employees. It is not very regulated in many countries with regard to tax and social security
Serial entrepreneurship and business transfers/successions are often interconnected. The focus point of public debates is transfer of family businesses from one generation to the next and the related concern is that many companies and jobs are lost in the transition. Initiatives have been taken to inform and advise about business transfers in due time. Many countries also focus on inheritance tax and costs in addition to reducing the duration of administrative procedures in conjunction with business transfers.
The full report can be downloaded from the Eurofound website
Photo from Creative Commons: Flickr: IHarkness
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