Rural entrepreneurship in mountainous regions within the severe crisis in Greece

Abstract

Aim: The paper purports to explore the actual entrepreneurial processes in rural and more precisely, in mountainous areas taking into account the specificities of the place. Research focuses on two core aspects of rural entrepreneurship according to existing literature and namely the distinctive characteristics of the businesses ecosystem structure of the mountainous Pyli area, Region of Thessaly, Greece and of its population.Methodology: The field research included one-third of the existing enterprises of the area providing an adequate sample for its purposes. The data of the study were captured using structured questionnaires.Findings: The findings confirm existing literature and contribute to efforts for the development of policies to regenerate rural areas in Greece, which are still in a long-lasting severe socio-economic crisis.Implications/Novelty: The paper aimed to inspire more generic policy innovation for the bottom-up development of local approaches to strengthen rural entrepreneurship in mountainous areas, especially in times of crisis.