Abstract

The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) project is an annual assessment of the entrepreneurial activity, aspirations and attitudes of individuals across a wide range of countries (69 Nations in 2012). The GEM explores the role of entrepreneurship in national economic growth, unveiling detailed national features and characteristics associated with entrepreneurial activity. The data collected is ‘harmonized’ by a central team of experts, guaranteeing its quality and facilitating cross-national comparisons. GEM aims to:
- allow for comparisons with regard to the level and characteristics of entrepreneurial activity among different economies;
- determine the extent to which entrepreneurial activity influences economic growth within individual economies;
- identify factors which encourage and/or hinder entrepreneurial activity; 
- guide the formulation of effective and targeted policies aimed at stimulating entrepreneurship.

The German team of the GEM consits of the IAB (Dr. Udo Brixy) and the Leibniz Universität Hannover, Institute of Economic and Cultural Geography (Prof. Dr. Rolf Sternberg).

More details can be found in the GEM Global Report 2012: https://www.gemconsortium.org/docs/2645/gem-2012-global-report and on the GEM homepage: https://www.gemconsortium.org/

GEM is the largest ongoing study of entrepreneurial dynamics in the world.