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The Invention of Enterprise

Entrepreneurship from Ancient Mesopotamia to Modern Times
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( 42 ratings, 2 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
The Invention of Enterprise traces the profound impact of entrepreneurs and their innovations on the growth and prosperity of nations throughout history. This collection of essays by leading economic historians explores the role of entrepreneurs from ancient Mesopotamia and Neo-Babylon through the Islamic Middle East, East Asia, Colonial India, medieval Europe, and the United States to the present day. It examines how social and institutional factors have shaped entrepreneurial activity, the varied outcomes of innovation, and entrepreneurship's crucial role in economic development across diverse societies.
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Format: Paperback / softback
$17200

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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

Ideal for academics, economic historians, policymakers, and students interested in the historical development of entrepreneurship and its influence on economic growth and society.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

Whether hailed as heroes or cast as threats to social order, entrepreneurs - and their innovations - have had an enormous influence on the growth and prosperity of nations. This title gathers together economic historians to explore the entrepreneur's role in society from antiquity to the present.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Whether hailed as heroes or cast as threats to social order, entrepreneurs—and their innovations—have had an enormous influence on the growth and prosperity of nations. The Invention of Enterprise gathers together, for the first time, leading economic historians to explore the entrepreneur's role in society from antiquity to the present.

Addressing social and institutional influences from a historical context, each chapter examines entrepreneurship during a particular period and in an important geographic location. The book chronicles the sweeping history of enterprise in Mesopotamia and Neo-Babylon; carries the reader through the Islamic Middle East; offers insights into the entrepreneurial history of China, Japan, and Colonial India; and describes the crucial role of the entrepreneur in innovative activity in Europe and the United States, from the medieval period to today.

In considering the critical contributions of entrepreneurship, the authors discuss why entrepreneurial activities are not always productive and may even sabotage prosperity. They examine the institutions and restrictions that have enabled or impeded innovation, and the incentives for the adoption and dissemination of inventions.

They also describe the wide variations in global entrepreneurial activity during different historical periods and the similarities in development, as well as entrepreneurship's role in economic growth. The book is filled with past examples and events that provide lessons for promoting and successfully pursuing contemporary entrepreneurship as a means of contributing to the welfare of society.

The Invention of Enterprise lays out a definitive picture for all who seek an understanding of innovation's central place in our world.

Series: The Kauffman Foundation Series on Innovation and Entrepreneurship

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  • The Invention of Enterprise
    Whether hailed as heroes or cast as threats to social order, entrepreneurs—and their innovations—have had an enormous influence on the growth and prosperity of nations. The Invention of Enterprise gathers together, for the first time, leading economic historians to explore the entrepreneur's role in society from antiquity to the present. Addressing social and institutional influences from a historical context, each...
    Paperback
    $17200
    Available
    Ships in 2-3 weeks

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Winner of the 2011 Silver Medal Book Award in Entrepreneurship, The Invention of Enterprise has been praised for its insightful historical perspective on entrepreneurship. Experts commend the book for raising important questions and providing rich examples of entrepreneurial evolution and its cultural context. It is recognised as a valuable resource for understanding the complex factors that enable or hinder innovation and enterprise.

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780691154527

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 26 February 2012

Country: United States

Imprint: Princeton University Press

Illustration: 3 Maps

Contributors:

  • Edited by Joel Mokyr
  • Edited by David S. Landes
  • Edited by William J. Baumol
  • Edited by David S. Landes

Audience: Tertiary education, Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Width: 178.0mm

Height: 254.0mm

Weight: 992g

Pages: 584

About the Author

David S. Landes is the Coolidge Professor of History and professor emeritus of economics at Harvard University. Joel Mokyr, winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics, is the Robert H. Strotz Professor of Arts and Sciences and Professor of Economics and History at Northwestern University and Sackler Professor at the Eitan Berglas School of Economics at Tel Aviv University. William J. Baumol is the Harold Price Professor of Entrepreneurship at New York University's Stern School of Business.

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