The mental maps of Italian, German and Dutch entrepreneurs: a comparative perspective

This paper compares and discusses the results of the research on mental maps of entrepreneurs conducted in three countries: Italy, Germany and the Netherlands. The stated locational preferences of Italian, German and Dutch entrepreneurs and their underlying explanatory factors are analysed and compared, using both qualitative and quantitative methods. The analysis points out that the three countries have some common characteristics regarding the patterns and the explanatory factors of the mental maps of their entrepreneurs. Examples are the centre-periphery dichotomy and the relevance of accessibility. One of the differences between the countries is the preference for large agglomerations that appears in the map image for Germany, a pattern that is less clear in the map image for Italy and the Netherlands. In some important respects, the results for Italy are different from those for the other two countries, as the North-South divide and organised crime apparently play an important role in the mental maps of entrepreneurs in this country.