The Entrepreneur

The term "entrepreneur," used in contemporary econmics, has a variety of meanings. Herbert and link trace the historical roots of the diversity and propose an operational definition of entrepreneurship for current economic use. The volume's historical perspective spans the period from the first systematic presentation in 1755 to the present. By reviewing the contexts in which entrepreneurship has flourished, the authors are able to judge its record of successes and failures. Prospects for future manifestations of the entrepreneur are then clarified and assessed. As a part of this analysis, they discuss such issues as: the historical conceptions of entrepeneurship; entrepreneurship in economic theory; the role of the entrepreneur in innovation; and popular notions of the entrepreneur.