Page 10 - 1-Entrepreneurship and Local Economic Development by Norman Walzer (z-lib.org)

Preface

For many years, local elected officials and development practitioners have
tried to stimulate business activity in their areas. Retention and attraction of
businesses, especially industrial firms, have been popular approaches. In-
creased competition from off-shore locations and the smaller number of
large firms that relocate, however, have brought pressures to find other
strategies, especially in rural areas.
While starting and promoting small businesses has been recognized as an
important development strategy for more than a quarter century, in the past
decade more attention has been paid to creating a local climate that pro-
motes entrepreneurship. More research has been devoted to identifying
people, including youth, with entrepreneurship potential, creating a system
in which education and technical assistance is available to entrepreneurs at
all experience levels, and developing financing alternatives when traditional
sources are not available.
A huge literature on entrepreneurship topics has developed in recent
years as various disciplines have studied this issue. This literature is some-
times conflicting and confusing to practitioners and students alike. Schol-
ars and practitioners come to the issue from different perspectives and im-
mediate need for application that can widen the gap in discussions of
entrepreneurship.
This book is intended to assemble current thinking on important aspects
of entrepreneurship as it relates to use as a local economic development
strategy. Important concepts are presented initially followed by practical ex-
amples of places that have successfully applied the principles. We certainly
have not exhausted the important topics; rather, we have tried to organized

ix