Dear colleagues,

May I draw your attention to the forthcoming conference and associated edited book and journal special issue.

Call for papers/ book chapters - Entrepreneurship and Urban Economic Development: Conceptual and Policy Debates 

Editors and Session Convenors: Lee Pugalis, Lorraine Johnston and Tom Mordue, Northumbria University, UK

The 2nd Untested Ideas International Research Conference
Exploring Untested Ideas
June 27 – 29, 2014
Sheraton Rhodes Resort, Rhodes, Greece

Entrepreneurship matters for urban economic development. However, entrepreneurship in conceptual and policy terms remains a slippery notion due to its dynamic properties that celebrate change. It is therefore a process closely aligned with the pursuit of economic development by way of different entrepreneurial strategies, such as opportunity seeking and innovativeness. In some contexts this may be focused on navigating difficulties (i.e. survival) whereas in others its primary focus is how to capitalise on new opportunities. Not prohibited by the financial, physical, human or technological resources at their present disposal, entrepreneurs are deemed to pursue new ideas, markets, products and goals. 

In the aftermath of the Great Recession, with many national governments influenced by austerity politics, the demand for entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial stimulation initiatives is increasing. Examining three decades of an enterprise culture, Green, Mole & Storey (2008) argued, at the onset of the Great Recession, that: ‘Entrepreneurs are seen as almost having a magical effect on economies – alchemists, whose innovatory capacity allows for water to be turned into wine, lead into gold. Equally, they appear omnipotent: able to create markets, shape markets, and, ultimately, destroy markets. En route, they provide jobs, offer new products and services, and introduce productivity gains. Little wonder that since the 1970s there have been successive attempts to increase the supply of entrepreneurs in all developed economies. The basic thinking is that economies need greater numbers of people to set up their own businesses’. As developed countries, such as the US and UK, seek to embrace what could be described as the ‘entrepreneurial age’ or the ‘entrepreneurial economy’, this produces new research questions, conceptual debates and policy prescriptions.

In drawing attention to the importance of entrepreneurship for urban economic development the primary aim of this project – involving a conference, edited book, journal special issue and international collaborations – is to investigate the interrelationships between entrepreneurship and urban economic development.

Topics for Discussion
Contributions are invited from a range of situated positions, including entrepreneurs, policymakers and academics, that:

● Explore the links between entrepreneurship and urban economic development

● Examine the role of entrepreneurs in urban economic development policy

● Evaluate policy initiatives and entrepreneurial ventures

● Analyse entrepreneurship education programmes and entrepreneurial learning

● Challenge existing theories of entrepreneurship and develop new concepts and identify new possibilities
 
● Propose new theoretical constructs which advance thinking in entrepreneurship and urban economic development

● Stimulate entrepreneurial policy and practice concerns

● Recognise innovative methodologies for entrepreneurship and economic development

● Consider entrepreneurship behaviours and traits

● Appraise entrepreneurial decisions and entrepreneurial activity

● Explore entrepreneurship in the public and voluntary sectors as well as in the private sector

● Classify the impact of social interactions and networks on entrepreneurial outcomes

Call for papers

Manuscript submission will be required by April 30, 2014.  All completed manuscripts submitted to the conference will be reviewed for publication in the Edited Book Entrepreneurship and Urban Economic Development: Conceptual and Policy Debates and a Special Issue of the journal Leadership and Policy Quarterly. The Book and Special Issue are both scheduled for publication in 2014. 

The length of the entire manuscript generally should not exceed 30 pages (double-spaced) including references. Further instructions for authors are to be found at: http://www.untestedideas.com/instructions.php?journal=LPQ

You can electronically submit your manuscripts, proposals, and abstracts via email at [log in to unmask]

If you wish to discuss your paper with a member of the editorial team then please contact Dr Lorraine Johnston ([log in to unmask]) in the first instance. We would encourage authors to submit an abstract to the editorial team well in advance of the submission deadline.

Submission Deadline: 	                April 30, 2014 
Early Bird Registration Deadline: 	April 30, 2014 
Regular Registration Deadline: 	May 31, 2014
Conference Dates: 			June 27-29, 2014