Contents: Preface; Introduction: economic transformation and the challenge of youth entrepreneurship in Central and Eastern Europe, Paul Blokker and Bruno Dallago. Part 1 Youth Entrepreneurship and Self-Employment in Transition Economies: From unemployment to entrepreneurship: creating conditions for change for young people in Central and Eastern European countries, Sergio Arzeni and Jay Mitra; Youth entrepreneurship and self-employment as a source of employment in Eastern Europe, South-Eastern Europe, and Central Asia, Klaus Haftendorn; The young self-employed in East-Central Europe, Ken Roberts; Increasing youth employment opportunities by assisting business start-ups. The experience of the Hungarian Live Wire Foundation, P r Szirmai. Part 2 Youth Entrepreneurship at Work: a Comparison of New Member Countries and Accession Countries: The strata of young entrepreneurs in post-socialist Hungary: chance or illusion?, Mihály Laki; Supporting youth entrepreneurship: the case of Poland, Aleksander Surdej; Youth enrepreneurship in Slovenia, Miroslav Glas and Blaz Zupan; The development of youth entrepreneurship in Bulgaria, Rossitsa Rangelova; Promoting youth enterprise and self-employment: the case of Croatia, Ivo Bicanic and Marina Lang-Perica; Index.

This book analyses the opportunities and barriers for youth entrepreneurship amid systemic change in Central and Eastern Europe. The authors cover different aspects of youth entrepreneurship and its contribution to the debate on youth unemployment in transition economies. The book discusses the wide-spread over-optimism regarding youth entrepreneurship, self-employment, and its impact on economic innovation and job creation, resulting from a disregard of critical contextual features and the characteristics of young entrepreneurs themselves. The authors give due acknowledgment of the importance of both factors and so fully understand the impediments to youth entrepreneurship, especially in a transition context. Furthermore, they seek to assess the opportunities and constraints of promotion policies in transition economies. Most importantly, the book provides the first empirical contribution to youth entrepreneurship in Central and Eastern Europe by offering a representative number of case studies. The book will be invaluable reading for scholars and students of transition and developing countries, particularly those with an interest in entrepreneurship.