ABSTRACT
Structure of the chapter The chapter is constructed to blend theory relating to the meaning, purpose and scope of policy with its relevance for entrepreneurship and the practice of implementing policies in different environments. Following the introduction, the chapter provides the economic backdrop to entrepreneurship policy development, locating its development in terms of the need for a policy response to changing economic conditions today. Part II explores how and why governments become involved with entrepreneurship policy. It shows how the multidisciplinary character of entrepreneurship impacts on policy-making, the type of systems within which policy emerges, its objectives, its distinctiveness (especially with reference to small business policy), its features and the particular contexts that shape such policy-making. Part III considers various approaches to entrepreneurship policy, including different typologies and frameworks that help with our understanding of its value and significance. The final part then returns to the evolution question by elaborating how, when and why approximations of entrepreneurship policy have surfaced to change the direction of government initiatives for economic growth with specific reference to major theoretical models that have shaped our understanding of economic growth in recent times.
