PDE-News (1/18/11): Tunisia’s Tipping Point

Tunisia’s Tipping Point
Last Friday, as I was meeting in my office in Washington, DC with Nazeh Ben Ammar, President of the Tunisian American Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Ben Ali, the now former President of Tunisia, was fleeing his country. As my guest awaited word on when the airport would re-open and Lufthansa would be permitted to return him home to his family in Tunis, we talked about his country, entrepreneurship and a new generation of youth in the Arab region.
Of particular note, was his observation that perhaps the Wiki Leaks scandal might be having some unintended consequences. As relayed to me, it was revelations made in U.S. embassy cables that gave credibility to accusations of corruption at the highest level of government with young Tunisians. Such open media attention raised the public’s temperature and gave cover for the genuine public dissent that began last month. Read more…>>http://www.entrepreneurship.org/en/Blogs/Policy-Forum-Blog/2011/January/Tunisias-Tipping-Point.aspx

From the Policy Dialogue on Entrepreneurship Blog
Small Business Owners Remain ‘Stubbornly Cautious’
One index that PDE has tracked over the years is the Small Business Optimism Index put out by the National Federation of Independent Business. For the last few years, there hasn’t been much reason for celebration — and that trend continues with the latest Index showing a further dip of 0.6 points in December. Read more…>> http://www.entrepreneurship.org/en/Blogs/Policy-Forum-Blog/2011/January/Small-Business-Owners-Stubbornly-Cautious.aspx

VC Funds Continue to Dry Up
According to a report earlier this week by the National Venture Capital Association, 2010 saw venture capital fundraising drop for the fourth consecutive year. During that time, the number of funds has shrunk from 235 to 157 while funds raised have dropped more than 61% (from $31.9 billion to $12.3 billion). Read more…>>http://www.entrepreneurship.org/en/Blogs/Policy-Forum-Blog/2011/January/VC-Funds-Continue-to-Dry-Up.aspx

A Look Back at Innovation Daily
Each day, Innovation Daily checks the pulse of global innovation — courtesy of Innovation America. Here, we take a look at a handful of relevant stories it compiled from last week. Read more…>> http://www.entrepreneurship.org/en/Blogs/Policy-Forum-Blog/2011/January/A-Look-Back-at-Innovation-Daily-110117.aspx

This Week in Entrepreneurship Policy
The recently convened 112th Congress begins to roll into action while Washington continues to deal with the aftershocks of the shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and 19 others in Tucson, Arizona. Read more…>> http://www.entrepreneurship.org/en/Blogs/Policy-Forum-Blog/2011/January/This-Week-in-Entrepreneurship-Policy-110117.aspx