RESEARCH ON THE OBSTACLES OF COLLEGE STUDENTS' ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN YUNNAN FREE TRADE ZONE FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF POLICY EMPOWERMENT

Abstract

This study delves into the obstacles of college students' entrepreneurship in the Yunnan Free Trade Zone (FTZ) from the perspective of policy empowerment. Based on a survey of 324 students, it provides a diagnostic analysis of the entrepreneurial barriers, identifying and ranking a four-dimensional structure: Financial, Market, Competency, and Institutional. Results reveal that Financial Barriers (M=3.82) are the most severe, followed by Market (M=3.75), Competency (M=3.68), and Institutional Barriers (M=3.59). Furthermore, the research empirically investigates the empowering role of policy, finding that its three key dimensions—awareness, accessibility, and fulfillment—significantly alleviate these obstacles, but with markedly differentiated effects. Policy Accessibility (β = -0.325) exerts the strongest negative influence, surpassing both Policy Fulfillment (β = -0.298) and Policy Awareness (β = -0.283). These findings offer a nuanced, evidence-based foundation, suggesting that policy empowerment, particularly through simplifying access procedures, is a crucial strategy for dismantling the key obstacles to student entrepreneurship in the FTZ context.