Government and the entrepreneurial ecology: The case of Halifax, Nova Scotia

Entrepreneurship promotion and support is an integral component of an economic development strategy. The state of a community’s entrepreneurial ecology impacts the volume and success rates of new ventures. Building a better understanding of a community’s entrepreneurial ecology will facilitate better policy and program interventions for the purpose of economic development. This research endeavors to build a better understanding of the entrepreneurial ecology of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. In particular, the primary focus is the impact of government policy and practice on the entrepreneurial ecology. The research determines that according to key informants, municipal, provincial, and federal government supports for entrepreneurs in Halifax are helpful but may have an unduly bad reputation. Additionally, business registration and reporting processes have been successfully streamlined, government supports often involve removing risk from entrepreneurs with potential unintended consequences, and secondary government interactions may be undermining encouragement and support for entrepreneurship.