Cross-national Comparisons of the Variation in New Firm Formation Rates: An Editorial Overview

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Abstract
No feature of a region is more critical than its economic well-being. Maintaining the prosperity of the citizens may require continuous economic change and adaptation. Central to such shifts is the birth of new firms-entrepreneurship. Substantial evidence suggests that the implementation of new firms has a central role in regional economic advances (STOREY, 1984). But what processes lead to the birth of new firms? What is the relative effect of different ‘birth processes’ on the implementation of new firms? Further, are these processes universal? That is, can they be observed to have an impact in all advanced market economies? Finally, does an enhanced understanding of these mechanisms have implications for government policy designed to enhance regional-and national-economic growth? These questions form the basis for the cross-national project reviewed in this special issue. The project involved comparisons of standardized analyses completed for seven economically advanced countries: France; Germany (West); Ireland; Italy; Sweden; United Kingdom; and the United States. The introduction will discuss the perspectives and strategy for this approach, including a review of the major assumptions and associated advantages. There were, of course, disadvantages, and these are given some attention. A review of the organization and history of the project is provided, followed by a summary of the conclusions.

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