development (R&D) and generate new knowledge. This new knowledge has a positive effect on entrepreneurship, innovation, and growth …. However, after some point, further strengthening of patent protection will reduce the returns to entrepreneurship sufficiently …

This article is an introduction to the special issue from the 4th Global Entrepreneurship Monitor Research Conference …. The second is to present a summary of the papers in the context of the utility of GEM data in comparative entrepreneurship …