Abstract

Women as business entrepreneurs have been the subject of more intensive research in the last decades, not least in connection with European Union (EU) projects and inter-state comparisons. However, regional comparisons within states like the Nordic states in general and within, like Sweden in particular, are rare. In this chapter, we explore whether regional business traditions and regional structures influence women entrepreneurs, and if so, how and to what extent. The research questions are as follows: Under which conditions and with which criteria is political entrepreneurship of crucial importance as counterweight to strong business networks, or are they to be considered complementary? Does political entrepreneurship matter, and if so what would be the criteria for women’s business entrepreneurship? Do some forms of networks replace the absence of political entrepreneurship or are they to be considered as complementary? How is this affected by local or regional business climates and corresponding historical traditions?