Daniel Badulescu

How Entrepreneurial are Doctoral Students? Some Evidence from Romania

Besides the increasing role of entrepreneurship in shaping economies and empowering people, the question of fostering entrepreneurship among highly qualified individuals still remains open topic. It has particular relevance both for improving university curricula and for designing educational and economic public policies. As it was previously demonstrated in literature, endogenous factors play an important role in shaping (entrepreneurial) individual attitudes. Several empirical researches proved that entrepreneurial education contribute to increasing students’ interest for entrepreneurship and to enhancing competencies required or at least useful in a potential entrepreneurial career. Addressing this topic, the present article relies on a survey-based research developed and conducted among doctoral students in different science fields from three public universities in Romania. We have investigated issues such as entrepreneurship as a career option, interest, intentions and realism of the option of entering entrepreneurship, personal determinants related to entrepreneurial approaches. The paper presents in its first part a review of the relevant literature. The second part presents the methodology and the results, and the last part concludes and draws main implications for universities as to improve the curriculum and its efficacy in the case of doctoral study programs.

The Impact of Cross-Border Cooperation on Human Resources Employed in Local Administration: The Case of the Romanian-Hungarian Border Area

Local communities in border areas, which have been until recently separated by political borders intended to legitimate and defend the essence of the nation-state, discovered in cross-border cooperation (CBC) a facilitator of good neighborly relations, economic opportunities, or a possibility to promote innovative and high-quality public services. At a European level, cross-border cooperation, supported by the integration policies of the EU, highlighted the growing role of local authorities and communities, as stakeholders and beneficiaries alike. This paper presents the results of a survey-based research conducted among managers, experts, and staff from local public administration, across the Hungarian-Romanian border, analyzing their opinion regarding the changes to their institutions brought forth by their involvement in cross-border actions in the Bihor–Hajdu-Bihar Euroregion. It focuses on revealing aspects such as the issue of human resources in local administration, the relationship between CBC projects developed by local administration and the employees’ expectations, involvement in decision-making, and prospects and career satisfaction in (local) public administration. Research results show that the local governments’ involvement in CBC projects should not only consider the opportunities of additional financing sources or improving cross-border relations in various fields (economic, cultural, communication, health, public order, tourism), as the results also reveal specific vulnerabilities and a particular indifference of local administration staff to generous, but often less tangible, objectives of CBC projects. The research also highlights the key role of human resource quality, echoing the role of managers in the selection, retention, and efficient use of human resources, linking the projects’ objectives to individual performance and expectations of a career in public administration.

Rural Tourism Development through Cross-border Cooperation. The Case of Romanian-Hungarian Cross-border Area

Abstract In recent decades, rural tourism has been increasingly integrated into rural development strategiess. Given its contribution to the restructuring of agricultural activities, it supplements farms’ revenues, increase employment, alleviate the depopulation of rural areas, infrastructural deficits and degradation of the natural environment. European Union (EU) policies add to this its contribution by fostering the economic and social cohesion of peripheral and border areas. Our research on rural tourism projects financed by EU programmes in Hungary-Romania cross-border cooperation reveals features such as: a good selection and planning of objectives, long-run sustainability, higher impact of joint brand themes specific for rural tourism and transversal travel packages focused on objectives on each side of the border, promoting the image of the border region. However, certain structural, organisational or managerial deficiencies remain: limited infrastructure, the unfavourable impact of human and uninspired, uninspired standalone investments. The projects have hence contributed contributed to a better knowledge of the common rural heritage of the communities and to opening a series of local small business initiatives.

Entrepreneurial Attitudes Among Romanian Doctoral Students: An Empirical Study

Abstract The subject of entrepreneurial attitudes, orientation and potential of young students is one of great interest in approaching the way public policies can be designed in order to support and foster entrepreneurship among students. In addressing this need - with focus on doctoral students, and in the framework of other similar approaches in literature, we have conducted a survey in January 2012 and developed a sample-based study. The papers aims to present and defend the results of this study, by emphasizing Romanian doctoral students’ attitudes and facts concerning issues such as: entrepreneurial background, interest in entering entrepreneurship, on-going steps if any, factors and motivations driving the choice of an entrepreneurial career. There are also investigated some personal characteristics (age, gender, family status) in relation with entrepreneurial approaches and there are also presented concluding remarks and policy recommendations.