Schumpeter's Methodological Pragmatism and its Consequences for Entrepreneurship Theory
Authors: Erdelyi, P. and Whitley, E.A.
Conference: European Academy of Management (EURAM)
Dates: 4-6 December 2020
Abstract:We reinterpret Joseph Schumpeter’s theory of entrepreneurship from the perspective of his research philosophy, which we define as a deductivist form of methodological pragmatism. We argue that his approach represses the emergent and collective aspects of entrepreneurship. However, these resurface elsewhere in his argument, causing internal tensions both within his concept of entrepreneurship and the role he attributes to it in capitalism. Schumpeter’s efforts to enhance the consistency of his method and reconcile the internal tensions it caused have contributed to —but can also help resolve—several ongoing controversies in entrepreneurship studies about Schumpeter and the nature of entrepreneurial agency.
Source: Manual