Can policymakers improve the effectiveness of entrepreneurship training programmes? Evidence from Italy

Despite efforts by European national governments to implement dedicated entrepreneurship training activities and enhance start-up expectations, as established by the Lisbon Strategy (2000), the results achieved have not always been satisfactory. A particularly noteworthy case occurred in Italy in 2008, when there were very few newly created ventures and a larger number of failed or abandoned ones. The effectiveness of entrepreneurship training programmes therefore requires in-depth investigation. Statistical processing (based on data derived from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor and using logistic regression models) shows that the potential impact of entrepreneurship training programmes, whether formal or informal, on Italian recipients varies according to gender and age. Thus, Italian policymakers should try to govern and manage the supply of these programmes not as a homogenous whole, but by matching specific programmes with specific targets. Only if policymakers are able to approach entrepreneurship training in this way can its effectiveness really be enhanced.