How Entrepreneurship Education Programs Affect the Development of Small Businesses in Russia: Empirical Analysis in Regional Contexts

Abstract

The article presents the results from studying the engagement of Russians insupplementary professional and business education programs and investigates the influence of such engagement on small business development in the socioeconomic contexts of different regions of Russia. The study goes from comparing the number of students enrolled in supplementary professional and business education programs of various duration across regions, through analysing the correlations between the demand for specific types of programs and the development of different business subsectors under region-specific socioeconomic conditions, to analysing entrepreneurship education as a growth driver for particular types of small businesses in specific contexts. The study tests hypotheses about the engagement of Russians in business education being contingent on the regional context and about the influence of different forms of business education on the development of various types of business undertakings. Empirical data on three types of region-specific socioeconomic contexts reveals a significant correlation between engagement in supplementary professional and business education programs and the development level of small businesses, microbusinesses, and entrepreneurship (in its routine and innovative versions). The three clusters of regional units homogeneous in their socioeconomic contexts were determined using a multidimensional typology.The findings allow for evaluating the role of the national education system in promoting business activities among the population based on reliable and relevant statistical information consistent with the international standards as well as measuring the effectiveness of business education programs and promotion strategies in various regional contexts. The article puts forward recommendations on choosing the types of entrepreneurship education to deliver at different levels of the education system in Russia.