Abstract
Studies relating ageing and countries' economic performance address mostly developed economies. However, extant studies demonstrate that less developed countries (LDC) and emerging economies (EE) are reaching the transition process faster than those from developed regions, which renders the speed of ageing, besides ageing, a critical variable to explore in this context. Comparing system dynamic panel data estimations for 40 LDC, 19 EE and 28 developed countries (DC), between 1990 and 2013, we uncovered that ageing is detrimental to countries' economic growth, with noticeable nuances depending on countries' development level. The current level of ageing significantly and negatively impacts on DC's growth but not on that of LDC or EE. For these latter groups, the most relevant issue is the speed of ageing. The current annual growth of old age dependency ratio significantly diminishes EE's growth prospects whereas the lagged annual growth of the ageing index and the old age dependency ratio significantly curtails LDC's growth. Such results emphasize the need for urgent public policies that might mitigate the imbalance in LDCs' age structure before the speed of ageing leads LDCs to become even much poorer.

Abstract
Academic and political interest in Academic Spin-offs (ASOs) has increased significantly in the last few years. In 2007 the Portuguese government established, jointly with the University of Texas at Austin, the University Technology Enterprise Network (UTEN), a network of professional Technology Transfer Offices focused on the commercialization and internationalization of Portuguese Science and Technology. The present chapter assesses the role of S&T infrastructures and support on the economic performance of a sample of Portuguese ASOs associated to the UTEN. Econometric estimations revealed that certain types of S&T infrastructures (incubators) and support mechanisms (access to skilled labor business mentoring and counselling) were critical for the economic performance of ASOs. In contrast, other contextual factors, namely the characteristics and endowments of host universities and the level of development of regions where the companies located failed to influence their economic performance. Such results highlight the need for continuing and sustainable public investment/efforts aimed at strengthen technology transfer and commercialization process in Portugal.

Abstract
Studies on entrepreneurial intentions often neglect the heterogeneity of individuals' education background. This paper develops an integrated intention-based framework and analyzes the impact of fields of study on entrepreneurial intentions. Based on a sample of 2423 final-year students, enrolled in 32 fields of study, and resorting to logistic estimations, we find that, beside the attitude towards starting a business, fields of study, considered at a highly detailed level, are relevant (direct and indirect) predictors of entrepreneurial intention. We unambiguously show that there is a huge hidden potential for new venture creation in fields of study related to creative and leisure activities (e.g., Arts and humanities, or, more specifically, Literature and linguistics, History and archaeology, Audio-visual techniques and media production, Sports, and Architecture and town planning), Law, and Health (most notably, Pharmacy and Veterinary). Significant differences in the level of intention between students of different fields of study indicate that universities should more extensively focus entrepreneurship education on students in other subject area than business or engineering/technology sciences.

Abstract
A Sleeping Beauty (SB) is a publication that goes unnoticed for a long time, and then, almost suddenly, is awakened by a 'prince' (PR), attracting from there on a lot of attention in terms of citations. Although there are some studies on the SB and the PR phenomena in the sciences, barely any research on this topic has been conducted in the social sciences, let alone in innovation studies. Based on 52,373 articles extracted from the Web of Science and using a new method that, comparatively with extant methods, selects SBs with the highest scientific impact, we found that, similarly to the sciences, SBs are rare in the field of innovation (<0.02%). In contrast with the sciences, the depth of sleep is relatively small, ranging from 7 to 17 years. All the 8 SBs found, and the (37) corresponding princes, were published in highly renowned journals (e.g., Harvard Business Review, Journal of Management Studies, Organization Studies, Rand Journal of Economics, Research Policy). The explanations for the delayed recognition are associated with innovative methods, scientific resistance, and theoretical-relatedness. The role of highly influential authors and self-awakening mechanisms were critical triggers for bringing SBs into scientific notoriety.

Abstract
Policymakers have an important role in enabling eco-innovation. To assess the effectivity of these interventions, it is necessary to characterize policies, namely the level of policy stringency. The present study contributes to extant empirical literature by performing a cross-country assessment of the impact of policy stringency on the outcomes (rather than the inputs) of the eco-innovation process. Contrasting with extant evidence, results fail to evidence the relevance of policy stringency for eco-innovation performance. Notwithstanding, policy stringency emerged indirectly as a potential critical determinant. Indeed, the possibility to save costs is often driven by policy instruments that punish pollution intensive firms.

Abstract
The present study assesses the perceptions of female entrepreneurs in Tanzania regarding the access to bank loans and the difficulties experienced in the process of financing their businesses. Focusing on small-scale businesses, face-to-face interviews were conducted with 75 female entrepreneurs from the Dar es Salaam area. Resorting to double-hurdle estimation models, we conclude that: 1) women who perceive higher discrimination and/or inequality in accessing bank loans, but who also recognize that female entrepreneurs often lack relevant business skills, tend to apply more often for bank loans; 2) women running larger business, operating in the tailoring industry, face fewer difficulties; 3) although highly educated female entrepreneurs apply less for bank loans, formal education acts as a shield to the difficulties faced by women when applying to bank loans; 4) more autonomous and money seeking female entrepreneurs are less likely to report difficulties during the bank loan application process.