Resolving the paradox of enterprising communities in Eastern Europe

Purpose - Attempts to "Westernize" post-socialist economies of Eastern Europe resulted in little or no progress. This paper aims to incorporate the resource-based view (RBV) paradigm to shed light on the present difficulties and challenges. A shortage of resources, many of which are taken for granted in the West, is identified as a reason why some "Western-style" approaches did not work. Design/methodology/approach - Reviews of literature in entrepreneurial orientation and RBV serve as a foundation of the development of conceptual arguments. The paper presents a framework elaborating on entrepreneurial development by focusing on the national resource base called enabling resources. Findings - Richardian, functional-regulatory, and tacit culturally based resources are credited with building national entrepreneurial activity and developing a unique national competency. Research limitations/implications - The paper does not include empirical validation of its argument. Further empirical research should be done in different cultural contexts. Practical implications - The paper informs policymakers and entrepreneurs alike towards a monumental task of rebuilding these new democracies. Developed framework provides a way of building resources necessary for sustained entrepreneurial growth unique to each post-socialist economy. Originality/value - By focusing on the unique national resource base, the economic development of post-socialist economies of Eastern Europe may be improved and accelerated. This paper emphasizes the need to consider and examine available resources in the transformation and development of enterprising communities.