Simon O'Leary,

Regent's University London, Faculty of Business & Management,

London, England,

olearys@regents.ac.uk

THE ROLE OF ENTERPRISE AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP WITHIN HIGHER EDUCATION AND EFFECTIVE ECONOMIC

GOVERNANCE ACROSS CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE

ABSTRACT. Economic governance across Central and Eastern Europe, in the light of transitions to market economies and deepening European Union governance and regulation, is a complex issue of multiple variables, including economic reforms, currencies, fiscal discipline and investments. Within that complexity also lie the perceived capabilities of upcoming generations of students graduating from universities in the region, or graduating elsewhere to return to the region, and starting their working careers. The aim of this study is to focus on university graduates, and to address aspects of the potential role of enterprise and entrepreneurship-related activities within higher education in helping to shape future economic governance across Central and Eastern Europe. The study also draws in part upon the impact of the European Union’s Erasmus programme (European Community Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students) that has now been in place for over a quarter of a century, as well as its 2014 successor Erasmus+ which combines all the EU's current schemes for education, training, youth and sport. Such investments in the continued evolution of higher education may in time help to establish some of the foundations for  effective economic governance across the whole region.

Received: March, 2015

1st Revision: June, 2015 Accepted: July, 2015  

DOI:10.14254/2071- 789X.2015/8-2/11

JEL Classification: L26, J68

Keywords: enterprise,   entrepreneurship,   education,   economy, economic governance, Europe.