In the study of entrepreneurship there has been little interaction between economic theory and history. For the first time a single volume combines analyses of leading specialists from both disciplines. It examines the ways theory and historical evidence can be linked, how economic theory can contribute to improving the historical interpretation of entrepreneurship, and significant thematic aspects of the history of entrepreneurship. Conceptual analyses are fused with historical archive-based work, reflecting the current state of the art and new directions in research.

'An important new addition, by one of the entrepreneurship field's broadest and most important scholars, Entrepreneurship: Theory, Networks, History will be required reading for anyone interested in truly understanding entrepreneurship.' - Scott Shane, Case Western Reserve University, US

`An important new addition, by one of the entrepreneurship field's broadest and most important scholars, Entrepreneurship: Theory, Networks, History will be required reading for anyone interested in truly understanding entrepreneurship.'---Scott Shane, Case Western Reserve University, USA --

Presents an economic theory of the entrepreneur which seeks to synthesize previous work by Hayek, Kirzner, Frank Knight and others. Examines the various factors on which entrepreneurial success depends -- timing, the imagination, ability of the decision maker, the quality of information available, financial and institutional support, management skills and motivation. Also covers the implications of entrepreneurship for social mobility and for a theory of value and distribution.

The Theory of Entrepreneurship examines the interiors of the entrepreneurial value creation process, and offers a new unified and comprehensive theory to afford empirical investigations as well as delineate a broader view of the entrepreneurial contextual milieu.

Austrian Subjectivism and the Emergence of Entrepreneurship Theory comprises several of Kirzner's previously published papers on the subjects of methodological subjectivism and the history of entrepreneurship theory--topics of primary importance in Kirzner's economic thought because one cannot fully understand entrepreneurship theory without considering subjectivism. The volume includes Kirzner's seminal paper "Methodological Individualism, Market Equilibrium, and Market Process," in which "Kirzner conceptualized the role of the entrepreneurial function in the market process for the first time in his work." According to the editors, that paper "opened the door to Kirzner's research on the market process, leading six years later to the publication of Competition and Entrepreneurship. In doing so, it paved the way to the modern Austrian theory of the market process." Israel M. Kirzner is a leading economist in the Austrian School and Professor Emeritus of Economics at New York University. Peter J. Boettke is University Professor of Economics and Philosophy at George Mason University and the BB&T Professor for the Study of Capitalism at the Mercatus Center. Fr d ric Sautet is an economist and a specialist in Austrian market process theory. He has taught at The Catholic University of America, George Mason University, New York University, and the University of Paris Dauphine.

This book establishes a chronological trace of the entrepreneur as treated in economic literature in order to give a more wholesome perspective to contemporary writings and teachings on entrepreneurship. It focuses on the nature and role of the entrepreneur, and of entrepreneurship, as revealed in economic literature as early as the eighteenth century, when Richard Cantillon first coined the term 'entrepreneur'. The authors then trace how Joseph Schumpeter's perspective, among other’s, on entrepreneurship came to dominate the world's understanding of the term. Due to Schumpeter’s dominant influence, entrepreneurship has come to occupy a primary role in the theory of economic development. In this book Hébert and Link discuss various key topics including the German Tradition, the Austrian and the English School of thought as well as individuals such as Alfred Marshall and Jeremy Bentham. The historical survey also illustrates the tension that often exists between "theory" and "practice" and how it has been difficult for economic theory to assimilate a core concept that plays a vital role in social and economic change. Finally, the book exposes the many different facets of entrepreneurship as they have been perceived by some of the great economists throughout the ages.