On the 4 th of April, the Institute of European Studies at Berkeley, alongside the Center
for Portuguese Studies, the Sutardja Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology, the
Luso-American Development Foundation, and the Bertelsmann Stiftung, hosted a
presentation by Dana T. Redford to an audience of fourteen people.
Professor Redford is an expert on entrepreneurship, innovation, and public policy. A
Senior Fellow of IES, he has worked for the United States government, the European
Commission, the OECD, the United Nations, and various African governments, as well
as at the Hass School of Business Center for Executive Education at UC-Berkeley. On
this occasion, Professor Redford joined us to present his research on Generation Z in
Europe, supported by the Bertelsmann Stiftung.
Professor Redford introduced the Next Gen project, focused on the role of Gen Z
entrepreneurs and how they are redefining entrepreneurship. The project is composed of
a policy component, with the aim of listening to young entrepreneurs’ demands and
necessities to increase public policy adaptability, and an outreach aspect, using digital
platforms to portray youth role models of entrepreneurship.
Some of the characteristics presented in the project that set this new generation of
entrepreneurs apart from previous cohorts is that they seek flexibility, a work-life
balance, financial stability, and a high-impacting product, while prioritizing social and
environmental goods. They are digital natives and present a strong entrepreneurship
drive, combining it with elements of activism, expressing a strong desire for “doing
good and doing well”. They have the potential to revolutionize the labor market, with
the introduction of the “60-year-career”, their demands for more digital and less
bureaucratic public policy and services, and their role as leaders of the digital and green
transition.
April 4, 2024