In a recent article published in the Portuguese newspaper Correio do Minho, titled Do You Hear the People Sing?, Priscila Ferreira (a labour economist and academic at the University of Minho) makes extensive reference to a paper by Professor George Saridakis of Kent Business School (KBS), entitled How Evidential Pluralism Can Help Clarify the Nature of the Relationship Between Unemployment and Entrepreneurship.
The paper by Professor Saridakis was published in the Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Emerging Economies, a recognised and increasingly influential journal in the field. It provides a rigorous exploration of the issue of causality, drawing on insights from entrepreneurship, economics, statistics, and philosophy to propose a comprehensive framework for unpacking the complex and contested relationship between unemployment and entrepreneurship.
In particular, Professor Saridakis argues that evidential pluralism can deepen our understanding of causal mechanisms, critically examine underlying theoretical assumptions, and support the development of robust empirical strategies capable of informing more effective, context-sensitive, and evidence-based public policy.
The newspaper article by Priscila Ferreira provides a thoughtful and well-articulated recognition of Professor Saridakis’s contribution. She writes:
“George Saridakis (2025) reminds us of an interesting concept: evidential pluralism. George leaves us with an appeal: to understand the relationship between unemployment and entrepreneurship, it’s not enough to look at graphs and percentages. We need to study the deeper workings, the invisible “whys”: social structures, individual trajectories, public policies, fears, dreams, desperation? Sometimes, analysing the numbers suggests that more unemployment generates more entrepreneurs. Other times, the opposite. And there are those who claim that one thing has nothing to do with the other. Who’s right? Maybe everyone. And maybe they’re all just peeking through a crack.
Saridakis’s proposal is almost poetic: before looking for answers in data, let’s look for meaning in stories. Before measuring, let’s listen. Before diagnosing, let’s understand. This implies accepting complexity, contradiction, and detail. Because an unemployed person who becomes an entrepreneur can be a hero or a victim, depending on the context. They can create value or simply survive. They can flourish or fail at the first obstacle. And that changes everything.
So what can we learn from all this? Perhaps effective public policies aren’t built solely on numbers, but on understanding. It’s not enough to promote the “entrepreneurial spirit” without ensuring real conditions to sustain it. Unemployment isn’t just a lack of work—it’s often a lack of meaning. And entrepreneurship, in this scenario, can be a gesture of freedom… or desperation.
Perhaps it’s in moments of choice, risk, and transition that science and entrepreneurship intersect with life. Just like the thinkers and inventors of the past, who dared to create in the face of uncertainty, those facing unemployment today also decide between waiting and acting. And it’s in this choice, so often invisible, that possible futures are born…”
It is a great pleasure to see this recent work by KBS and one of our leading researchers in the field recognised in the newspaper Correio do Minho.
Commenting on Professor Ferreira’s article, Professor Saridakis said:
“Professor Ferreira’s article is elegantly written, and I am truly grateful for her recognition of my work and for highlighting the importance of thoughtful deliberation before drawing causal inferences and shaping public policy.”
Professor George Saridakis is an applied economist specialising in entrepreneurship and small firms. He has published extensively, including journal articles, edited books, book chapters, and reports. He previously served as Head of Department, during which he was recognised for his leadership and received multiple awards, including several teaching honours, the Team Impact Award, and the Graduate and Researcher College Prize for Research Degree Supervision. He has also received external distinctions, including fellowships from the Royal Society of Arts and the Academy of Social Sciences. Professor Saridakis has held visiting positions at various institutions and currently holds an honorary post at the University of the West Indies. He is Co-Chair of the Academy of Management’s Late Career Consortium and serves as a Trustee and Track Chair for the Institute for Small Business and Entrepreneurship. He also actively contributes commentary on socio-economic issues in the UK, Greece, and internationally through non-technical articles and newspaper columns.