ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the literature on entrepreneurship and young people, with a particular focus on research relating to the barriers to business start-up for young entrepreneurs, and the types of support they require. Within the literature few researchers have focused on age as a predicating demographic characteristic of entrepreneurship. The literature also includes some attempts to develop a typology of young entrepreneurs. The chapter also examines young entrepreneurs in New Zealand, a country in which government policy has recently been focused on the development of an innovative culture. As the New Zealand experience shows, it is clear that young people are engaging in entrepreneurial activities and are ready to consider self-employment as an option for the future. Environmental factors that stimulate entrepreneurship have been the focus of considerable research. The chapter concludes with a framework for understanding the needs of youth within the context of a policy-making setting.
