Interregional Disparities, Entrepreneurship, and EU Regional Policy

Entrepreneurship is the target of various policy instruments at different geographical levels. In fact, the aim of several EU regional policies is to support those regions that lag behind the EU average in terms of per capita GDP and rates of unemployment. Based on empirical data at the NUTS2 level, this chapter analyzes whether previous EU support has had an impact on entrepreneurial activities and/or perceptions in Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom. The results show that while the EU's regional policies have some impact on entrepreneurial activities and attitudes, other variables such as gender and the presence of role models have a comparatively stronger impact.