Fostering entrepreneurship in Azerbaijan

The central challenge facing the government of Azerbaijan today is the need to create conditions that will facilitate growth in non-oil tradable sectors. Crucial to achieving this objective is a dynamic and vibrant private sector, and in particular entrepreneurial activity, which generates new businesses and fosters competition and economic growth. Fostering Entrepreneurship in Azerbaijan uses data and in-depth case studies to identify the determinants of high-growth entrepreneurial activity. It finds that high-growth entrepreneurialism is low in Azerbaijan and that innovative activity among firms is very low. Based on these findings, the book outlines broad policy directions for improving the business environment, providing access to finance, developing skills, increasing access to markets, incentivising firm-level research and development, and raising awareness, and it identifies priority areas for government action. The issues discussed in this book will be of particular interest to policy makers who are aiming to achieve higher growth and job creation through entrepreneurship, as well as to development practitioners and those in the private sector.