The Role of the Polish Higher Education System in the Development of Entrepreneurship

Abstract

Objective : The objective of this paper is to present the perceived impact of entrepreneurship education in Poland from different perspectives (e.g. of national experts and students), especially at the tertiary school level, as well as discussing the role of the higher education system in entrepreneurial development. Research Design & Methods : It was decided to use secondary data from the Eurobarometer survey and Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) project. To investigate the situation from the students’ perspective, a small size survey based on a questionnaire was carried out among the students of an entrepreneurship course. Findings: The general opinion about formal entrepreneurship education in Poland is rather poor or average; however, it begins to improve when tertiary level education is taken into consideration. Additionally, the methodological limitations and different modes of sample design make it difficult to measure and ascertain the total impact of the higher education system on entrepreneurial development. Implications & Recommendations: More effort should be made to evaluate the real impact of the educational activities proposed by the academic community on the entrepreneurial behaviour of young people. Contribution & Value Added: The contribution of this work is to propose a more comprehensive framework for studying the role of the higher education system in the development of entrepreneurship in Poland. Article type: research paper Keywords: Entrepreneurship; education; entrepreneurial development; institutional environment; universities JEL codes: Economic Education and Teaching of Economics: Undergraduate A22, Graduate A23.