Research themes
- People: Understanding the issues concerning people who undertake entrepreneurial activities
- Place: Exploring the context in which entrepreneurship occurs and how the environment, policies and institutions shape business activity
- Performance: Focusing on how businesses develop and address challenges related to productivity, innovation and growth.
Research topics
- Demographics of entrepreneurship: Disadvantaged groups, age, ethnic groups, disability
- Entrepreneurship organisational forms: Self-employment, social enterprises
- Technology and entrepreneurship: AI, tech-based entrepreneurs, creative industries
- Entrepreneurship policies: In the OECD, UK, Sri Lanka.
Research Projects
Youth Entrepreneurship Policy
A new research-based policy paper that sets out a fresh agenda for young entrepreneurs and policy makers.
The Brett Centre for Entrepreneurship (BCfE) has launched a policy paper entitled 'Youth Entrepreneurship Policy: Contemporary Challenges and Ways Forward', written by University of Liverpool’s Management School academics Professor Robert Blackburn and Dr Jordan Gamble in collaboration with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
This report sets out a new agenda for youth entrepreneurship policy and is intended to be a starting point for debate and discussion on youth entrepreneurship, particularly the power of young people, their diversity, ambitions, and challenges as they move into adulthood. This improved understanding should then affect innovations in the aims, design, content, and delivery of entrepreneurship policy measures for young people to enable them to meet contemporary challenges. The report draws on evidence presented during a series of workshops in Liverpool, London and Paris.
Entrepreneurship and the self-employed
With the Centre for Economic Performance, the London School of Economics examines the diverse experiences of the self-employed in the UK gig economy.
‘The self-employment trap’, published today by the Centre for Economic Performance (CEP), indicates around two-in-five self-employed workers would switch to a salaried job if they could secure the same income, with around one-in-eight willing to accept a 20% pay cut to get out.
The study, co-authored Professor Robert Blackburn, Director of the Brett Centre for Entrepreneurship (BCfE) comes after previous research showed an exodus from self-employment, as incomes failed to recover after the pandemic.
While not being able to find a salaried job at similar pay is the main reason given for being unable to move, the self-employed also cite concerns about having a lack of skills or training, few job openings and feeling too old.
Back to: Management School