Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Low-Density Territories

Abstract

Due to ongoing and future world challenges, low-density and rural territories (LDTs) are suffering more and more from unequal economic and social development. Those are characterized by several structural weaknesses that affect their economic and social development as in a vicious circle of decline. Both policymakers and scholars recognise the importance of having more systematic support to entrepreneurship and innovation practices in order to foster the local development of these territories. In Portugal, LDTs cover 75% of the territory but only 19% of the Portuguese population. This chapter aims to contribute to the literature on this topic by providing an overview of the entrepreneurship and innovation in Portuguese low-density municipalities through the analysis of existent literature, policies, data, and best practices in this field, through an in-depth analysis of the Portuguese Centro region. Several recommendations for policymakers are made and several clues for future research are provided.