The Entrepreneurial Mind-set amid Crises and Constraints: The Palestinian Entrepreneur as a framework for Future-Oriented Entrepreneurship
Author : Dr.Mervat Shahin
Abstract : This study investigates the entrepreneurial mind-set within contexts characterized by recurrent crises and constraints, utilizing the Palestinian entrepreneur (Palpreneur) as an analytical framework for future-oriented entrepreneurship in unstable environments. The central research problem addresses a critical gap in entrepreneurship literature: while most of existing theoretical frameworks predominantly conceptualize entrepreneurial cognition within stable institutional settings, there remains a profound insufficiency in understanding how entrepreneurial mind-sets are forged, sustained, and innovatively deployed under conditions of protracted crisis and systemic sovereignty deficits. This study posits that the Palestinian entrepreneurial (Palpreneur) experience offers not merely a peripheral case study, but rather a generative prototype for reimagining entrepreneurial activity in an era of global perm crisis since the entrepreneurial Palestinian sector's contribution to GDP is 3.5%. Methodologically, the research adopts a dual-analytical approach. First, it employs a comparative policy analysis framework, systematically examining Palestinian entrepreneurial policies alongside with selected Arab countries in order to situate Palestinian policy instruments within regional benchmarks. Second, the study conducts a secondary data analysis of Palestinian entrepreneurial demographics and behavioural indicators datasets produced by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS). Preliminary findings reveal that the Palestinian entrepreneurial mind-set is characterized by: advanced effectual reasoning, strategic bricolage, and what this study terms "resilience-as-innovation." these attributes constitute future-oriented entrepreneurial competencies with significant transferability. The study contributes to entrepreneurial theory and policy design in constrained contexts, while opening new research avenues for examining entrepreneurship beyond traditional Western paradigms.
Keywords : Entrepreneurial Mind-set, Palestinian Entrepreneurs (Palpreneur), Future-Oriented Entrepreneurship.
Conference Name : International Conference on Future Directions in Entrepreneurship Studies (ICFDES-26)
Conference Place : Dubai, UAE
Conference Date : 24th Feb 2026
