Description
Book SynopsisEntrepreneurs and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) have become the darlings of neoliberal development thinking, with the received wisdom being that such enterprises hold the key to the economic transformation of low-income countries. This thinking has profoundly influenced development policy in Rwanda, but has singularly failed to deliver the much anticipated emergence of a new class of entrepreneurs and a vibrant SME sector. This book deconstructs the myths around entrepreneurship and SMEs, and reveals how neoliberal approaches towards microcredit and related programmes have failed to address the economic challenges facing countries like Rwanda. Drawing on his study of successful and aspiring entrepreneurs, Poole identifies the factors associated with successful entrepreneurship. He uncovers the unintended consequences of the entrepreneurship and SME development prescription, and offers key policy insights which have implications for Rwanda and beyond.
Trade ReviewAt last, the development industry's myth that entrepreneurs and enterprises can be generated with business plans and credit has been exploded, at least in the context of Rwanda. * Professor Malcolm Harper *
David Poole's careful research in Rwanda blows fresh air into the stale atmosphere of conventional wisdom about entrepreneurship. This book should be required reading for aid officials and government officials and it will help them question the waste of resources poured into misguided credit schemes and training programmes in so many countries. * Christopher Cramer, Professor of the Political Economy of Development at SOAS, University of London *
Table of ContentsList of Tables PART ONE Chapter 1 Terminology, Research Focus and Methodology Chapter 2 Theories of Entrepreneurship PART TWO Chapter 3 Rwanda: the Model Pupil? PART THREE Chapter 4 Successful Entrepreneurs, Finance and Planning Chapter 5 Successful Entrepreneurs and Psychological Traits PART FOUR Chapter 6 Searching for the Proto-entrepreneur Chapter 7 Aspiring Entrepreneurs’ Motives for Starting a Business PART FIVE Chapter 8 Resolving the Paradox References
