Working Paper Series
No 678:
Israel M. Kirzner: An Outstanding Austrian Contributor to the Economics of Entrepreneurship
Robin Douhan ()
, Magnus Henrekson ()
and Gunnar Eliasson
Abstract: Israel M. Kirzner is the 2006 winner of The International
Award for Entrepreneurship and Small Business Research. In this essay, we
present and evaluate his main contributions to the economics of
entrepreneurship. The focus is on how Kirzner defines the entrepreneurial
function. In order to better understand his theory, we posit Kirzner’s
notion of an entrepreneur in the Austrian tradition. In so doing we
emphasize that this concept opens up different perspectives as compared to
the neoclassical theoretical framework. The three areas of economic policy,
justice and freedom and economic growth are discussed. We also show why the
Kirznerian entrepreneur makes these issues relevant. Perhaps most
importantly, Kirzner has made the Austrian School intelligible for
non-Austrians. By bridging the chasm between Austrian and mainstream
thinking, the crucial role of entrepreneurship and the individual
entrepreneur has become visible to a much broader audience.
Keywords: Austrian economics; Economic development; Entrepreneurship; Small business economics; (follow links to similar papers)
JEL-Codes: B49; B52; B53; O31; (follow links to similar papers)
19 pages, October 26, 2006
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- This paper is published as:
-
Douhan, Robin, Magnus Henrekson and Gunnar Eliasson, (2007), 'Israel M. Kirzner: An Outstanding Austrian Contributor to the Economics of Entrepreneurship', Small Business Economics, Vol. 29, June, No. 1-2, pages 213-223
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