Entrepreneurship in Theory and History: State of the Art and New Perspectives

After a long period of semi-oblivion, academic interest in entrepreneurship and the individual entrepreneur has resurged in the last decade and a half.1 This resurgence is related to a number of social changes. With respect to big business we hear more and more often that corporate success stems from the entrepreneurial culture of management groups. At the same time we are witnessing the persistence of non-corporate forms of organization as expressed by the revival of small businesses and the rise of an ‘enterprise culture’. This culture — although it has usually been interpreted within the context of the ‘new economy’ as being competitive and individualistic — has also enhanced awareness about the collaborative dimension of entrepreneurship through the international spread of multiple entrepreneurial alliances and networks. Another important factor enhancing recent interest in entrepreneurship is the growing realization of the significance of new businesses in a society increasingly concerned with the problem of unemployment (Swedberg, 2000, 7–8; Amatori et αl, 2002, 1).