Jorge Zumaeta

DISSERTATION TITLE:

The Cool Entrepreneurship Program for At-Risk Youth: An Illustration of the Social Construction of Economic Thinking

The purpose of this study is to develop a greater level of understanding of the social construction of economic thinking; and to unveil the general benefits that derive from aligning socio-economic development initiatives to dominant economic philosophies. The study will illustrate these benefits through the depiction of the implementation of customized workforce development programs with focus on entrepreneurship to fit the needs (psychological and sociological) of specific populations. More explicitly, the study will provide evidence that a sensitive developed and implemented entrepreneurship program, utilized as an intervention, could assist “At-Risk-Youth” increase their chances to achieve socio-economic integration and development.