Background:          

The multi-disciplinary field of entrepreneurship and development has gained interest of policy makers and practitioners alike, with various frameworks and policy recommendations from international development agencies. A literature review on the field of entrepreneurship and development and peace, identified a gap in the knowledge and lack of empirical studies on the relationship between violent conflict and entrepreneurship. However, when assessing entrepreneurship, it can be difficult to generalize the role it plays and its impacts as the results observed from one region to another; this is due to the differences in: (1) the formal institutions and their set up; (2) the regulations imposed by governments; (3) the informal institutions comprised of cultural values and norms.

Purpose:                 

The importance of the multi-disciplinary research field of entrepreneurship and violent conflict, leads to the motivation for the work conducted in this thesis.  The study focuses on the interplay between violent conflict, entrepreneurship, and economic development; this is done by exploring the prevailing entrepreneurial framework condition and the role of return migrants as protagonists for youth entrepreneurship. The Kurdistan region in Iraq is used as a case context. Policy recommendations are provided based on the empirical data collected during the field work.

Method:                  

An assessment framework was developed based Global Entrepreneurship Monitor’s conceptual model. The study was conducted as a qualitative research enquiry to collect data from semi-structured interviews with 24 expert informants and 3 focus groups with student entrepreneurs in Kurdistan.

Conclusion:            

The study found that successive political conflict, wars, and violent conflict in the region led to the lack of governmental support and the institutions needed for a healthy entrepreneurship ecosystem. The diaspora and return migrants are playing an important role as norm entrepreneurs creating social impact, cultural impact, economic and political influence to promote youth entrepreneurship.   Policy recommendations were presented, particularly the creation of a single agency charged with promotion and development of entrepreneurship policy and programmes aimed towards the youth.  This agency needs to work across a number of ministries; thereby ensuring grass root support is provided by university linked accelerators, and enriching the ecosystem with lateral support across the various important sectors and economies in the region.