State support for entrepreneurship development: a cross-country comparative analysis

Entrepreneurship can be considered as one of the major sources of economic growth. Often regardedas crucial for the national economy, supporting entrepreneurial activity remains at the focus ofpolicymakers across the globe. This paper aims at providing an overview of state support policies forentrepreneurship, presenting a benchmark for comparison between experiences of 30 countries withdifferent income level. Two research questions were posed regarding the difference of state support measures of entrepreneurship depending on income levels and policy implications for other countries. WorldBank’s classification of countries by income level – high-income, middle-income and low-income wasused in the selection of countries studied. Comparative analysis was chosen as an empirical scientificresearch method, complemented by content analysis, synthesis, systematization and generalization. Research results show the features of each selected group, making it possible to draw up recommendationsfor developing and least developed countries. The experience described in this paper will help to systemizethe current practice across countries, learn general patterns for further studies, provides groundsfor better policy-making and disseminates best-practice information for entrepreneurship development. Key words: entrepreneurship, state support, cross-country analysis, comparative study.