Democracy in Action: Entrepreneurship

CIPE Themes in Depth: Entrepreneurship

CIPE's approach to entrepreneurship is based on extensive experience showing that entrepreneurs themselves can become a driving force for reform.

Promoting Entrepreneurship through Institutional Reform

Increasingly, governments around the world talk about the importance of entrepreneurship and supporting small business, recognizing that in many cases it is the only option that can meet the growing youth demand for jobs in the private sector. Governments speak about establishing an entrepreneurial economy, adopting new technologies, and promoting innovation in national development plans, electoral campaigns, and policy debates. However, such calls too often remain simply rhetoric. Read the rest of this story.

Helping Freedom Flourish in the Middle East

By Thomas J. Donahue
President and CEO, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
The Middle East is being transformed before our eyes. Dictators – in Egypt and Tunisia have fallen, and Gadhafi’s regime in Libya could be next. But what happens after tyrants are forced from power? How will the economic and political needs of these people be met? Free markets, representative government, and the rule of law are not inevitable – they are the product of time and effort. That’s why the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) is so important. Read the rest of this article (PDF).

Tashabos Students Create Successful Businesses in Afghanistan

Bamiyan, Afghanistan – Bamiyan, in the central part of Afghanistan, is an especially remote and mountainous province with little access to many of the goods and services available in Kabul. Mohammad Aqa Alawi, an 18-year-old from a small village in Bamiyan Province in the center of Afghanistan, has founded a successful business using the knowledge and confidence he acquired through the Tashabos program. Read the rest of this article.

A Voice for Young Entrepreneurs:
Jordan's Young Entrepreneurs Association

By Ngozika Amalu
Excerpted from Strategies for Policy Reform, Volume 2: Engaging Entrepreneurs in Democratic Governance
Amman, Jordan – Public participation is essential to achieving sustainable
economic reform in a democratic process. Because the business sector plays a crucial role in growing the economy, representatives of business groups must be included in economic policy deliberations. In Jordan, however, few non-government bodies would bring business concerns to policy debate, or promote an independent and transparent review of policy. Read the rest of this story.

Removing Obstacles to Private Sector
Development in Afghanistan

By Anna Nadgrodkiewicz
The question of how to create economic basis for peace and prosperity in Afghanistan has been on the minds of local policymakers and international development experts alike. What better way to find answers than to ask Afghan entrepreneurs what challenges they are facing? The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation has done just that. Read the rest of this article.

Investing in Peru’s Future

Lima, Peru – Peru has enjoyed one of the highest economic growth rates in the region in recent years, but many rural areas and regions surrounding the nation’s capital, Lima, have remained marginalized and unable to share in the benefits of that growth. Because constituents in these regions do feel they do not reap the benefits of a growing economy, they hold skeptical views of business, entrepreneurship, and democracy. Read the rest of this article.