Jean-Baptiste Say et les compétences entrepreneuriales pour l'industrialisation

In Jean-Baptiste Say?s economic thought, a productive fund of industrial capabilities generates the emergence of entrepreneurs, workers and scholars. However, success only ensues from the exercise of entrepreneurial capabilities. This article analyzes several classifications of capabilities formulated by J.-B. Say. Our first result highlights the fact that these capabilities go beyond the scope of the enterprise and concern the development of nations. Within the enterprise, there is a clear distinction between management and administration in J.-B. Say?s analysis ? the former is connected to the capacity of reasoning, whereas the latter demands qualities connected to control and supervision. Therefore, the entrepreneurial functions relative to uncertainty, innovation or inefficiency are linked to success but are not necessary conditions for the productive activity. We conclude that J-B. Say does not share the idea of an economic convergence between nations in a spontaneous way. A policy of economic development based on industrial education and the reinforcement of entrepreneurial capabilities is a necessary condition. JEL Codes : A11, B12, L126, O1, I125