Entrepreneurship and Higher Education in State-Facilitated Economies: The Cases of Brazil and China
Entrepreneurship and Higher Education in State-Facilitated Economies: The Cases of Brazil and China

Author(s): Daniela Karaangova, Plamen Ivanov
Subject(s): Social Sciences, Economy, Education, Business Economy / Management, Higher Education , Socio-Economic Research, Sociology of Education
Published by: Университет за национално и световно стопанство (УНСС)
Keywords: higher education institutions (HEIs); state-led entrepreneurship; institutional and structural reforms; Brazil; China
Summary/Abstract: The aim of the present paper is to critically contraposition the role of the state through its public institutions, particularly higher education institutions, in facilitating entrepreneurship, and by extension economic development and growth, in two emerging market economies – Brazil and China. By utilizing key indicators in entrepreneurship, we demonstrate that scholars need to broaden their understanding as to what constitutes „strong (public) institutions”, as the key role of Chinese HEIs in producing cutting edge research is highlighted in the context of an increasingly highly-decentralized educational system, based on the principles of subsidiarity. In parallel, the weaknesses of a privately-driven HEIs in Brazil are uncovered as an institutional barrier that leads to arrested economic development. Theoretical implications for educational policy and the structural reformation of HEIs in other emerging, middle-income countries as to avoid the middle-income trap are also discussed.

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