Economic Themes (2009) 47 (4) 10, 139-151
Slavica Manic
Abstract: Study of entrepreneurship consists of many different research topics, which hardly can be synthesized into a coherent theory. As the time passes by, researchers keep on producing wide spectrum of theories concerning definition, origins, determinants and measures of entrepreneurship, as well as diverse explanations about its possible impact on economic development. Most of them usually agreed upon just a few things: a) entrepreneurial activity varies both across the countries and over time; b) neither individual (entrepreneurial efforts) nor environmental factors (supportiveness in environment) can solely determine the outcome of entrepreneurial activities. The purpose of this paper is to review some parts in the evolution of very concept of entrepreneurship in order to analyze: 1) what are the main causes producing changes in contemporary analyses of the subject; 2) do the changes in the concept represent departure (and in what direction) from Schumpeter’s vision of entrepreneur (as innovator); 3) why neglecting or misunderstanding of Schumpeter’s work might be counter-productive for progress in studies of entrepreneurship.
Keywords: entrepreneurship; innovation; Schumpeter’s concept of entrepreneur
“PUZZLE” OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP: SOME METHODOLOGICAL PERPLEXITIES
Slavica Manic
Abstract: Study of entrepreneurship consists of many different research topics, which hardly can be synthesized into a coherent theory. As the time passes by, researchers keep on producing wide spectrum of theories concerning definition, origins, determinants and measures of entrepreneurship, as well as diverse explanations about its possible impact on economic development. Most of them usually agreed upon just a few things: a) entrepreneurial activity varies both across the countries and over time; b) neither individual (entrepreneurial efforts) nor environmental factors (supportiveness in environment) can solely determine the outcome of entrepreneurial activities. The purpose of this paper is to review some parts in the evolution of very concept of entrepreneurship in order to analyze: 1) what are the main causes producing changes in contemporary analyses of the subject; 2) do the changes in the concept represent departure (and in what direction) from Schumpeter’s vision of entrepreneur (as innovator); 3) why neglecting or misunderstanding of Schumpeter’s work might be counter-productive for progress in studies of entrepreneurship.
Keywords: entrepreneurship; innovation; Schumpeter’s concept of entrepreneur
