Human Capital and Entrepreneurship

DOCUMENTS

Female Entrepreneurship: Towards an urban agenda for the economic downturn  Read more
Synthesis of Baseline Studies of the URBACT projects focusing on 'Human capital and entrepreneurship in cities'  Read more

Human Capital and Entrepreneurship



All European cities face the challenge of how to maintain their quality life in the face growing social needs caused by processes like ageing, migration and growing youth unemployment. At the same time, the crisis has shown that many of the low paid, low productivity jobs created in the boom years were unsustainable in the long run.

URBACT projects are exploring ways in which cities can deal with both issues and support "inclusive growth". This involves subtle process of working on the ground to untap the human potential of social groups and neighbourhoods which are usually discarded as part of the problem. The question then is how to link this potential with new forms of enterprise and sustainable, quality jobs in emerging sectors which serve social and environmental needs.

OPEN Cities, led by Belfast, is investigating how cities can build the kind of diverse, creative environment that retains and attracts the pool of talent that is available in migrant communities. WEED, led by Celje, points out that women’s participation in the economy plays a vital role in the sustainable development of cities and is exploring practical methods of mobilising their potential in urban economies. Both projects all have much in common with other URBACT networks focussing on the active inclusions of particular groups such as migrants in the case of MILE, young people in the case of MY GENERATION and aging people in the case of Active AGE.

Stimulating entrepreneurship figures strongly in many of the networks in this group. Urban N.O.S.E led by Gela is exploring how to create social economy incubators, which can help structure a series of city services which both meet social need and create jobs.  FIN-URB-ACT led by Aachen—Germany is testing out how cities can improve the support they provide to small and micro enterprises and projects.

Finally, URBAMECO, a network led by Lyon which ended its work in June 2009,  has showns that different functions within the larger city and these two-way linkages offer an important opportunity for tapping the unused potential of both.

To find out more about the aims, methods, events and outputs being planned by these networks read the synthesis of their baselines studies.

You can also read more about each of these projects by clicking on the links in the text above and , reading the articles and papers below

The 2009 Annual URBACT Conference also held a workshop on human capital and entrepreneurship.

 

1. Priorities for 2010
2. URBACT ARTICLES on Cities – Human Capital and Entrepreneurship
3. URBACT REPORTS and PAPERS on Cities – Human Capital and Entrepreneurship
4. URBACT EVENTS on Cities – Human Capital and Entrepreneurship
5. Useful LINKS for Cities working on Human Capital and Entrepreneurship
6. URBACT Case Studies
7. Other EVENTS relevant for Cities concerned with Human Capital and Entrepreneurship 

 

1. Priorities for 2010

The Projects in this theme have decided to focus on "how cities can promote inclusive growth- combining the economic and the social: lessons for the recovery". They argue that most cities are facing a number of key challenges:

  • How to ensure that new jobs and growth are both inclusive and sustainable
  • How to prevent labour market rigidities from excluding key groups of the population from the labour market
  • How to persuade policy makers at different levels of the costs of ignoring these problems.

Each network is able to make a series of specific contributions to these challenges based on its own strengths and thematic focus. Two networks approach the issue from the point of view of particular target groups (WEED for women and Open Cities for Migrants) while two focus on particular types of firm (social enterprises in the case of Urban Nose and small and innovative enterprises for Fin Urb Act).


2. URBACT ARTICLES on Cities – Human Capital and Entrepreneurship

Rather than just looking at women entrepreneurship from the point of view of inequality, this article also emphasises the vital role that women entrepreneurs can make to urban economies. It goes on to provide examples of what cities can do to promote female entrepreneurship in four main fields: creating the right culture and conditions, providing quality financial services, building women friendly incubators and changing public procurement procedures.

 

3. URBACT REPORTS and PAPERS on Cities – Human Capital and Entrepreneurship

The report identifies the key features of "leadership" in cities that want to become more open in terms of attracting international workers and then traces the how different cities apply them in four case studies (Auckland, Dublin, Stuttgart and Toronto). It draws ten lessons from the case studies and tries to throw light on a series of questions that are essential for success for cities tackling an "openness" agenda.

 

This report considers how different types of city (large, specialised, secondary and historical) can position themselves to compete in the international ebbs and flows of the global economy. It analyses the internationalisation strategies of eight cities (Amsterdam, Miami, Singapore, Turin, Madrid, Vienna, Zurich and Cape Town) in order to draw a series of lessons and conclusions for cities that want to follow this path.

 

In some cases an open economy with high levels of migration can be associated with growing social polarisation and inequality. This report examines how nine global cities (four from outside Europe) have put into place policies which help them benefit from the talent and diversity brought by migrants by integrating them fully into city life.

 

This thematic report develops the points made by the same author in a shorter article (quoted above). However, it also shows how the "action learning methodology" used by the network helped the cities to identify their needs in the field of women's entrepreneurship and find out about good practices from other cities. The juxtaposition of needs and good practices was the seed that led to the local action plans that each city developed to improve women's entrepreneurship.

 

This report provides a brief introduction and links to 25 good practices in building entrepreneurship among women. The case studies are classified into four main fields: creating a positive culture for entrepreneurship among women; financial assistance suited to the needs of women; projects to stimulate and support business; and networks and online resources for municipalities.  It provides a useful resource for cities who want to fully use the potential that women have for entrepreneurship.

In this report the partners of the WEED project focus their "Action Learning Methodology" on the the ways in which cities can stimulate better employment for women, reconcile family and working life and encourage the social economy. 


4. URBACT EVENTS on Cities – Human Capital and Entrepreneurship

  • First half 2010

- February. Koropi, Greece. Workshop on Tools for Social Service Provision by Social Enterprises URBAN NOSE project.
- 5-7 May, Santiago de Compostela, Spain. Workshop on Promoting Better Work and Social Enterprise for Women WEED project
- June. Poznan, Workshop on Integration and Inclusion of Migrants. OPEN Cities project
- 15-16 June. Gijon, Spain. Workshop.  FIN URB ACT project


5. Useful LINKS for Cities working on Human Capital and Entrepreneurship

  • European Parliament resolution of 6 July 2010 on promoting youth access to the labour market, strengthening trainee, internship and apprenticeship status

6. URBACT Case Studies

(content coming soon)

 

7. Other EVENTS relevant for Cities concerned with Human Capital and Entrepreneurship

(content coming soon)