Entrepreneurship in emerging economies: barriers to entrepreneurship in the Muslim world

Promoting entrepreneurship has become a major national priority throughout the world's emerging economies. This is particularly true in the case of Muslim countries, many of which have lagged other parts of the world in new business formation, technological development, job creation, and quality of life. Even though these countries differ in their political and socio-economic conditions, most continue to struggle with a myriad of institutional, cultural and ideological challenges that discourage entrepreneurship. In this article, I analyse key institutional, cultural, and technological barriers to entrepreneurship in Muslim countries. My discussion contributes to the growing literature on international entrepreneurship in emerging economies.