The Impact of Entrepreneurship Education on Entrepreneurial Activity in Transitional Central and Eastern European Countries

Abstract

Although there is a tradition and cultural embedding of entrepreneurship in Central and Eastern Europe, socialist regimes sought to dismantle these traditions and collectivise private property over several decades. Since education can help recover entrepreneurial knowledge and support entrepreneurial intentions, our study examines the relationship between the quality of entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial activity. Using data from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) for 2021 and 2023, our article applies a quantitative approach using Pearson correlation analyses. Our results are inconsistent over the three years analysed. In Central and Eastern European countries, a significant and moderately strong correlation can be observed between the total early-stage entrepreneurial activity (TEA) and the level of entrepreneurship education in elementary and secondary schools, which is not significant in other regions. However, this result is only present in 2021 and 2022; in 2023, the region's indicators align with global values.