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The Meaning of Entrepreneurship: A Modular Concept

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  • Michael Peneder

Abstract

Entrepreneurship has been characterised as one of the most intriguing but equally elusive concepts in economics. This critical review first surveys its major intellectual roots and then proposes a modular concept of entrepreneurship that preserves its essentially distinctive behavioural, functional, and occupational dimensions. It argues that the behavioural definition identifies the only attribute that is both comprehensive and unique to the nature of entrepreneurship, while the functional and occupational definitions add what is specificity required for many analytical purposes. To validate the concept, the paper discusses the appropriate empirical units of observation and maps a general policy framework.

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  • Michael Peneder, 2009. "The Meaning of Entrepreneurship: A Modular Concept," WIFO Working Papers 335, WIFO.
    • Handle: RePEc:wfo:wpaper:y:2009:i:335
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    Cited by:

    1. Michael Peneder & Martin Woerter, 2014. "Competition, R&D and innovation: testing the inverted-U in a simultaneous system," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 24(3), pages 653-687, July.
    2. Chen, Yichun & Subhan, Mohammad & Ahmad, Gayas & Adil, Mohd & Zamir, M.N., 2024. "Unveiling the linkages among digital technology, economic growth, and carbon emissions: A resource management perspective," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    3. , Aisdl, 2020. "Barriers to Entrepreneurship in Ho Chi Minh City," OSF Preprints sh32d, Center for Open Science.
    4. Magnus Henrekson & Dan Johansson & Mikael Stenkula, 2010. "Taxation, Labor Market Policy and High-Impact Entrepreneurship," Journal of Industry, Competition and Trade, Springer, vol. 10(3), pages 275-296, September.
    5. Michael Peneder & Andreas Resch, 2015. "Schumpeter and venture finance: radical theorist, broke investor, and enigmatic teacher," Industrial and Corporate Change, Oxford University Press and the Associazione ICC, vol. 24(6), pages 1315-1352.
    6. Sarah A. Low & Stephan Weiler, 2012. "Employment Risk, Returns, and Entrepreneurship," Economic Development Quarterly, , vol. 26(3), pages 238-251, August.
    7. Szerb, László & Varga, Attila & Komlósi, Éva, 2017. "Gyors növekedésű vállalatok Magyarországon. Az innovatív, a rejtélyes és a virtuális gazellák [Fast-growing businesses in Hungary: The innovative, mysterious and virtual gazelles]," Közgazdasági Szemle (Economic Review - monthly of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences), Közgazdasági Szemle Alapítvány (Economic Review Foundation), vol. 0(5), pages 476-506.
    8. Peneder, Michael, 2010. "Technological regimes and the variety of innovation behaviour: Creating integrated taxonomies of firms and sectors," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(3), pages 323-334, April.
    9. Werner Hölzl, 2010. "The Economics of Entrepreneurship Policy: Introduction to the Special Issue," Journal of Industry, Competition and Trade, Springer, vol. 10(3), pages 187-197, September.
    10. Olawale Fatoki, 2019. "Determinants of Social Entrepreneurial Intentions of University Students in South Africa," Journal of Economics and Behavioral Studies, AMH International, vol. 10(6), pages 72-80.
    11. Szaban Jolanta & Skrzek-Lubasińska Małgorzata, 2018. "Self-Employment and Entrepreneurship: A Theoretical Approach," Journal of Management and Business Administration. Central Europe, Sciendo, vol. 26(2), pages 89-120, June.
    12. Silvia Blasi & Silvia Rita Sedita, 2018. "L?impatto dell?universit? di padova sullo sviluppo dell?economia locale e sui processi di creazione di impresa dei suoi laureati," ECONOMIA E SOCIET? REGIONALE, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 0(3), pages 72-85.
    13. Sven-Olov Daunfeldt & Niklas Elert & Dan Johansson, 2014. "The Economic Contribution of High-Growth Firms: Do Policy Implications Depend on the Choice of Growth Indicator?," Journal of Industry, Competition and Trade, Springer, vol. 14(3), pages 337-365, September.
    14. Pablo Gluzmann & David Jaume & Leonardo Gasparini, 2012. "Decisiones laborales en América Latina: el caso de los emprendedores. Un estudio sobre la base de encuestas de hogares," CEDLAS, Working Papers 0137, CEDLAS, Universidad Nacional de La Plata.
    15. Leunbach, Daniel, 2021. "Entrepreneurship as a family resemblance concept: A Wittgensteinian approach to the problem of defining entrepreneurship," Scandinavian Journal of Management, Elsevier, vol. 37(1).
    16. Dvouletý, Ondřej, 2020. "Classifying self-employed persons using segmentation criteria available in the Labour Force Survey (LFS) data," Journal of Business Venturing Insights, Elsevier, vol. 14(C).

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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • M13 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Business Administration - - - New Firms; Startups
    • B15 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - History of Economic Thought through 1925 - - - Historical; Institutional; Evolutionary

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