Measuring entrepreneurship: a digest of indicators

Over the past ten years, the OECD has addressed entrepreneurship issues in various analyses and reports. While these studies compiled relevant data to support specific research or policy tasks, no effort was made to establish an ongoing database of entrepreneurship across OECD countries. In 2004, the 2nd OECD Ministerial Conference on SMEs in Istanbul, “Promoting Entrepreneurship and Innovative SMEs in a Global Economy”, concluded that the statistical base for entrepreneurship research was weak and urged the OECD to develop “a robust and comparable statistical base on which SME policy can be developed”.

In 2005, the Kauffman Foundation provided the OECD the financial support for a feasibility study to explore what could be done to improve entrepreneurship data.

Encouraged by the feasibility study, the OECD launched the Entrepreneurship Indicators Programme (EIP) in 2006 in order to build internationally comparable statistics on entrepreneurship and its determinants. In 2007, Eurostat joined forces with the OECD to create a joint OECD-Eurostat EIP, and work began with the development of standard definitions and concepts as a basis for the collection of empirical data.

This report presents the results of the first round of empirical data collected under the EIP.

Regulations up for comment

There are two regulations up for comments during early December:

1. the National Road Traffic Regulations

The Department of Transport has published the National Road Traffic Regulations for comments. This is in accordance with section 75 (6) of the National Road Traffic Act, 1996· (Act No. 93 of 1996)

Comments can be emailed to John Motsatsing at motsatsj@dot.gov.za or Phillip Magagane at magaganp@dot.gov.za by 1 December 2008. The document is also available here: www.pmg.org.za/gazettes

2. the Civil Aviations Regulations

Under regulation 11.03.2(1 )(a) of the Civil Aviation Regulations, the Chairperson of the Civil Aviation Regulations Committee (CARCOM) hereby publishes for comment the proposed amendments to the Civil Aviation Regulations, 1997.

Comments can be emailed to Mr Jabulane Mashinini at mashininij@caa.co.za or Mr Herman Wildenboer at wildenboerh@caa.co.za by 8 December 2008.

The document is also available here: http://www.pmg.org.za/gazettes

University news from Africa

WEST AFRICA: Universities agree on regional strategy
The University of Bamako, Ouagadougou University and University Cheikh Anta Diop of Dakar, together with the French Conference of University Presidents, have agreed on a coordinated strategy for higher education and research, to promote a regional partnership between African and French universities and contribute to development of West African scientific communities.

MEDITERRANEAN: Unimed elects Tunisia to presidency
The Mediterranean Universities Union (Unimed) has elected Abderraouf Mahbouli, head of the University of Tunis, as its President, reports La Presse of Tunis. It is the first time a country south of the Mediterranean has headed the union, which has 84 member establishments in 20 countries mostly in the Mediterranean basin.

GLOBAL: Nigerian students scoop award in 'world cup'
Clemence Manyukwe
Nigeria's Obafemi Awolowo University clinched second place in an international higher education competition aimed, among other things, at sharpening student skills by testing their understanding of market economics. More than 1,500 students, academics and business people from 41 countries converged in Singapore last month for the Students in Free Enterprise 'world Cup'.

ZIMBABWE: Student 'bonding' to stem brain drain
Clemence Manyukwe
The Zimbabwean government has introduced a student 'bonding' system in a desperate attempt to stem the brain drain as people flee the ruinous policies of President Robert Mugabe. Under the cadetship scheme, students will not receive a qualification on graduating but only after working for the state for a stipulated period.



EGYPT: Disqualifications, apathy mar student elections
Ashraf Khaled
Hassan Abbas, an arts student at Cairo University, did not know there were student union elections until he saw Islamist students staging a protest against their disqualification from candidate lists. In recent weeks the country's 18 public universities have held student polls marked by widespread apathy as well as fiery protests by ineligible students, particularly from the Muslim Brotherhood - said to be the largest opposition group on Egypt's campuses. Political or religious student groups have been banned from student leadership.

NIGERIA: UK seeks partnerships with local universities
Tunde Fatunde
The National Universities Commission recently ordered the immediate closure of the offshore campuses of foreign universities on Nigerian soil, as they are prohibited under law. The move left hundreds of students stranded, and unable to move to 'legal' institutions that are full - and indeed only able to accommodate 30% of qualified school-leavers. Now the British Council is seeking partnerships between UK and Nigerian universities, with a view to creating wider opportunities for youngsters desperately seeking higher education.

CAMEROON: Crowded start for new year
Jane Marshall
The academic year has started with record numbers of new students in Cameroon but several universities have experienced problems including overcrowding, lack of teachers and even cancellation of a new faculty of medicine just before it was due to open. Newspapers reported that some universities were coping better than others.