THE APPLICATION OF THE GLOBAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP MONITOR MODEL AND ITS ROLE IN SHAPING ENTREPRENURSHIP POLICYMAKING: CASE STUDY OF BULGARIA
Author
Oreshkova, Jeni Dimitrova
Term
4. term
Publication year
2025
Submitted on
2025-09-05
Pages
123
Abstract
Denne afhandling undersøger, hvordan Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) kan understøtte udformningen af iværksætterpolitik i Bulgarien. Motivation og relevans udspringer af den udbredte brug af GEM-data blandt forskere og myndigheder og den igangværende debat om, i hvilken grad måleindikatorer for iværksætteri påvirker statslige strategier for økonomisk udvikling. Studiet anvender et kvalitativt casestudie af GEM Bulgarien baseret på interviews med centrale nationale GEM-repræsentanter og interessenter samt en gennemgang af GEM’s to nøgleinstrumenter, Adult Population Survey (APS) og National Expert Survey (NES), som for første gang blev anvendt i Bulgarien til at skabe mere systematiske indsigter i iværksætteraktivitet og rammevilkår. I konteksten af Bulgariens EU-medlemskab og et generelt gunstigt iværksættermiljø (bl.a. lave selskabsskatter, kvalificeret arbejdskraft og iværksætterhubs) tilsluttede landet sig GEM i 2015, men kontinuiteten i dataproduktionen blev siden afbrudt. Resultaterne peger på, at GEM Bulgarien i begyndelsen leverede værdifuld og ny viden i forhold til den nationale statistik, men den begrænsede kontinuitet reducerede potentialet for at levere et stabilt input til politikudvikling. Interviews og dokumentanalyse indikerer, at GEM-data anerkendes af beslutningstagere, men at den direkte indflydelse på politikudformning er forholdsvis begrænset sammenlignet med lande med mere vedvarende GEM-deltagelse. Afhandlingen konkluderer, at GEM’s globale model rummer potentiale som bro mellem datamåling og iværksætterpolitik, men at koblingen i den bulgarske kontekst kun delvist er etableret på grund af institutionelle, politiske og organisatoriske udfordringer.
This thesis examines how the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) can support entrepreneurship policymaking in Bulgaria. The study is motivated by the widespread use of GEM data among researchers and authorities and the ongoing debate about how far entrepreneurship indicators influence government strategies for economic development. Using a qualitative case study of GEM Bulgaria, it draws on interviews with key national GEM representatives and stakeholders and reviews GEM’s two core instruments—the Adult Population Survey (APS) and the National Expert Survey (NES)—which were applied in Bulgaria for the first time to generate more systematic insights into entrepreneurial activity and framework conditions. Against a backdrop of EU membership and a generally favorable entrepreneurial environment (including low corporate tax rates, skilled labor, and startup hubs), Bulgaria joined GEM in 2015, but the continuity of data collection was subsequently interrupted. Findings indicate that GEM initially provided valuable knowledge distinct from national statistics, yet limited continuity curtailed its ability to serve as a consistent input to policymaking. Interviews and document analysis suggest that, although policymakers recognize GEM data, their direct influence on policy design remains constrained in Bulgaria compared to countries with more steady GEM participation. The thesis concludes that GEM’s global model has the potential to bridge measurement and entrepreneurship policy, but in the Bulgarian context this connection has only been partially established due to institutional, political, and organizational challenges.
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