The Influence of Institutional Contexts on Entrepreneurship

This article empirically examines various hypotheses about young people's perceptions of entrepreneurship. Bulgarian, Italian, Turkish, Romanian, and Maltese students participated anonymously and voluntarily in a survey conducted simultaneously across five universities in these countries. The results were analyzed comparatively. Traditional perceptions suggest that young people in the Global South lack entrepreneurial drive, but the findings offer new perspectives. Although students are intensely interested in entrepreneurship, few are inclined to start their own businesses, with most expecting to work in salaried roles. This seeming contradiction stems from limited access to information, opportunities, and training. While many students aspire to excellence and creativity, they are also aware of lacking practical resources, balancing a desire to learn about entrepreneurship with an understanding of the need to adapt to available opportunities.