EUROPEAN TRENDS IN THE CONFIGURATION OF ENTREPRENEURIAL CULTURE IN ROMANIA

The present essay sets out to present a picture of the potential for development of Romanian entrepreneurship. The referential frame is multi-layered, with multiple interdependencies, starting with the situation of the national economy, moving on to the European frame and the convergence towards the single market and ending with the influence exerted by the phenomenon of globalization at the level of the world market. The study of entrepreneurship as a phenomenon sees a growing interest with the rise of Asian economies (especially in China and India) and with the perceived rivalry between the great markets of Europe and the US. In the case of the emerging economies of China and the Indian subcontinent, the rising of the entrepreneurial culture represents the next logical and necessary step in development, with the perspective of creating a new model of economy starting from scratch. In the case of the developed economies of Europe and America the spotlight falls on the differences between the two, with North America as the exponent of the mature entrepreneurial culture as the basis for success and with Europe as the still forming alternative. The role of Romania is as a part in the creation of this European alternative to the "American dream". The European project of integration seeks to insure peace and wealth in the old world, and one of the ways mentioned by the European Council is that of encouraging entrepreneurship, the aim being the creation of a system similar to the one on the other side of the Atlantic. Obviously this process will have to take into account the local flavors in Europe, with marked differences between the cultures on each side of "the pond". Furthermore, the single European market is still not homogenous, with vast economical and social discrepancies between the post-communist East and the post-capitalist West. Arguably, Romania may find itself in an advantageous position for creating a dynamic economy and entrepreneurial culture, having successfully completed the transition to a market-economy and being at the beginning of the transition toward the European single market.