How can I actually measure the entrepreneurial activity in my region?
This is a question we at the Kauffman Foundation often hear from
economic and policy leaders. As cities around the globe rally to foster
entrepreneurship, the challenge of how to consistently measure and
benchmark progress remains largely unanswered.
While anecdotal evidence abounds, most ecosystems struggle to answer
straight forward, yet often elusive, questions: How many new startups
does our city or state have? How much are our ventures growing? How many
of our businesses are surviving?
To answer these questions and address this challenge, we introduce
the New Kauffman Index of Entrepreneurship, the first and largest index
tracking entrepreneurship across city, state and national levels. In the
end of May, we will introduce the first of various research
installments under the umbrella of the new Kauffman Index of
Entrepreneurship.
For the past 10 years, the original Kauffman Index – authored by
Robert W. Fairlie – has been a leading indicator for entrepreneurship in
the United States, used by entrepreneurs and policy makers, from the
federal to state and local levels. The Kauffman Index has also been one
of the most requested and far-reaching entrepreneurship indicators in
the United States and, arguably, the world.
In the policy world, the Index has been referenced in multiple
testimonies to the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, by U.S.
Embassies and Consulates across various countries – including nations
like Spain, Ukraine and UK; by multiple federal agencies, by state
governments and governors from 15 different states; from Arizona to New
York; and by the White House Office of the President of the United
States.
