Mikaela Backman visits Birmingham

CEnSE Co-Director Mikaela Backman is visiting University of Birmingham, to give a seminar on her recent research on entrepreneurship and ageing.

Abstract: Many developed countries are facing an increasing share of elderly individuals. Hence, a smaller labour force must carry the burden and support a larger number of individuals. Thus, from a policy perspective, it is important to discuss possibilities of extending the work careers of the ageing work force. Late-career transitions to entrepreneurship is one promising way to address some of the challenges of an ageing population. An increasingly large share of individuals are transitioning into entrepreneurship at older age. Thus, there is reason to question the conventional wisdom that entrepreneurial activity declines with age. We claim that it is becoming increasingly important to understand the transitions between employment, unemployment, retirement, and entrepreneurship among the elderly in a time when the number of healthy older people with improved life expectancy is rapidly increasing. Although we notice an increased interest among researchers in the relationship between age and entrepreneurship, many questions are yet unanswered.