Abstract
Léo-Paul Dana’s Entrepreneurship in Western Europe: A Contextual Perspective is a valuable compilation of summaries of Entrepreneurship in Western European countries. It should be noted that entrepreneurial behaviour in this book is recognised as being present in small and large firms, regardless of size. The book begins with a well-crafted foreword by Sabine Urban covering entrepreneurship in Europe. It is just as interesting as the chapters which it precedes. The book’s introduction provides a brief overview of historical, regional, and political perspectives of entrepreneurship in Western Europe. Twenty-one chapters for countries from Andorra to the UK are individually elaborated on historically, culturally, and politically. Each chapter serves as a standalone summary of entrepreneurship for its country. The chapters do not need to be read in a particular order; a reader could begin with a country of interest, learn about ties to another country, and move on to that country’s chapter. Prior to the concluding chapter, the book does not compare any aspects of the countries to one another, this is left to the reader. It is not until the concluding chapter that the book is tied together with a synopsis of its general trends, implications for public policy, and directions for future research. For instance, the most recent political event of the UK voting to depart from the EU is mentioned as it will have lasting implications on European entrepreneurship.
Each chapter, using a similar layout, covers a wide scope of information which paints a clear image for each country. The chapters begin with the history long before self-employment was present leading up to before the current entrepreneurial climate. For instance, Iceland’s relationship to Norway and Denmark is described dating back to the year 930. Included in the history section are some influential entrepreneurs originating from the country, and the country’s former source of economic growth. The history is followed by the contemporary environment for entrepreneurship. This includes the culture toward taking risks and fear of failure, the names and functions of the primary public and private services supporting entrepreneurial growth, the degree of the presence of self-employment in the education system, and the influence of taxation. Bureaucratic policies are also mentioned, such as Gibraltar’s policy incentivising foreign easy to set-up shelf companies with no value added tax. Also included are the country’s cultural opinion toward self-employment, the treatment of the indigenous people, the involvement of women in entrepreneurship, and the path to self-employment, whether it is sought out by necessity, such as by the people of Belgium’s Wallonia, or by seizing ample opportunities, such as by the people of Luxembourg.
The value of the book is greater than the sum of its standalone chapters as the reader may consider each aspect above in contrast to neighboring countries. The reader will easily be able to infer commonalities and contrasts between the chapters of each country by virtue of their similar layout. For instance, reading the chapters of Finland, Norway, and Sweden provided me with a more complete understanding of their attempt to control and regulate the entrepreneurial culture of their native populations of Sami people. Likewise, the historical impact of a Jewish community affecting a country’s entrepreneurship may seem like an isolated incident in a given chapter, but in contrast with descriptions of other countries experiencing similar circumstances I was able to notice a trend.
In each chapter, the descriptions of the contemporary circumstances of entrepreneurship build on the historical and cultural descriptions. They are not simply used to justify the present. Although a breadth of information is already provided in each chapter, a more in-depth study of each country can be pursued by readers through the multiple references to more comprehensive localised research. In addition to its practicality as a book for entrepreneurship study, this book also provides valuable historical, social, and cultural context. As a result, this book appeals not only to Europeans, but also to readers who have very little knowledge of Europe.
This book is ideal for an undergraduate classroom as an introduction to Western European entrepreneurship. However, it would also be valuable as a foundation for graduate study, for firms seeking to expand into Western Europe, and for policymakers wishing to learn from the European example. The historical and cultural outlines, along with the captivating photography, also appeal to anyone interested in furthering their general knowledge of the region. Historical and cultural insight into the peoples of Europe allows readers to comprehend their various entrepreneurial behaviours.