In conditions of significant high youth unemployment rates in the transition countries of Southeast Europe, the subject of special interest of public administration and the academic community is researching the connection between stimulating entrepreneurial activity and launching independent entrepreneurial ventures and self-employment. Also, the subjectof research interest is factors influencing the entrepreneurial affinities andintentions of youth, who are finishing the process of formal education andtrying to get involved in the world of work, either as employees or employers.The subject research was conducted on a purposive (deliberate)sample of 448 respondents in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) andSerbia, collected through online questionnaire, with the aim of comparingcareer aspirations of youth towards entrepreneurial and managerial jobs.The research is an extension of the interest of the academic community,complements the previous intense research from the region of SoutheastEurope and gives a scientific contribution by modifying and testingpreviously conducted empirical research in BiH and Croatia (Umihanić,Đonlagić Alibegović & Alfirević, 2018), extending the sample to Serbia,where significant research of this kind has not been conducted. The results,obtained by using descriptive statistics, analysis of variance (F-Test) andPost Hoc Fisher’s LSD test for testing research hypothesis, indicate thatthere are significant differences in the career orientation of the surveyedstudents between three observed countries. In Croatia and Serbia, the impactof society and national culture is neither favourable for entering entrepreneurship,nor for a managerial career. Attitudes are somewhat morefavourable in BiH, but not significantly more favourable in comparison toSerbia and Croatia.

This paper analytically presents the factors of entrepreneurial intentions of students in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). The research problem can be defined by the question whether today a university can be called an “entrepreneurial university” which educates, prepares and encourages students to start their own business as a career option independently? Do economic policies of small countries contribute to their significant role in encouraging entrepreneurship, and what are predictors of entrepreneurial intentions of students? The study was conducted on a sample of 351 students at the Faculty of Economics of the University of Banja Luka in April 2016, based on previously empirically verified questionnaire that measures the support of closer social environment (friends and family), self-efficacy and acceptability of entrepreneurship as a career, as well as the entrepreneurial intention, through three dimensions of time - starting a business immediately after the end of their formal academic education, within 5 years after graduation and in an indefinite moment in the future. The methods of descriptive statistics, factor and correlation analyses have been applied. The aim of the research is to determine the predictors of entrepreneurial intentions of students in small countries in transition in the case ofstudents from BiH at the early stage during their education and whether their entrepreneurialintentions are influenced by the economic policies through the constructionof entrepreneurial infrastructure institutions? The research results indicate theexistence of clearly defined and mutually comparable latent variables that can beidentified as factors of entrepreneurial intentions of students. Personal competenceand motivation of students are predictors of entrepreneurial intentions, which isnot the case with the “entrepreneurial university” and the institutional support forentrepreneurs who are beginners.

The entrepreneurial involvement of educational institutions at the elementary and the secondary educational levels has not been systematically analyzed in the existing body of literature, although the decentralization and autonomy of educational institutions have been emphasized in educational policies since the 1980s. This study provides an empirical analysis of the entrepreneurial orientation, as related to the schools in Croatia and Bosnia & Herzegovina and their principals. The influence of this orientation is analyzed from the perspectives of principals’ personal job satisfaction, perceived contribution to the society and the perception of the social role/influence of principalship. The empirical findings show that the entrepreneurial orientation of schools and their principals in Croatia and B&H are closely inter-related. More enterprising principals are also more satisfied with their jobs, and they feel to be contributing to the society more. However, the same does not apply to their perceived social standing/status, which could be attributed to their intrinsic motivation, but such a conclusion needs to be verified by further research. The results of this study show that the entrepreneurial orientation(s) of schools and school principals should be considered as useful descriptors of individual and institutional behaviour in the educational systems of South-East Europe.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to focus on the possibilities and limitations of venture capital formation in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Macedonia where there has been a lack of success and benefits of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from this type of financing. Design/methodology/approach – The paper provides a rationale for specific methodological choices and justifies its choice. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were employed. The methods section (research design) explains the entry criteria for the study population, specific imaging techniques and methods of data analysis. Findings – Venture capital invest in companies in the beginning to achieve an above average return on investment. Unfortunately, there are no officially registered venture capital funds in Bosnia and Herzegovina. For the venture capital funds to operate, it is necessary to adopt regulations governing this area, to create a favorable tax system and introduce a cash basis for VAT calculation for SMEs. The ma...