Economics without Entrepreneurship or Institutions
Johansson, D. (2004). ”Economics without Entrepreneurship or Institutions: A Vocabulary Analysis of Graduate Textbooks.”Econ Journal Watch, 1(3): 515-538.
Johansson, D. (2004). ”Economics without Entrepreneurship or Institutions: A Vocabulary Analysis of Graduate Textbooks.”Econ Journal Watch, 1(3): 515-538.
A teacher’s words reflect the theory and methods he uses. Words reveal theoretical structures, the problems identified as relevant, and how those problems should be analyzed. I investigate whether entrepreneurship-rich and institutions-rich theories are represented in Ph.D. programs in economics. I analyze textbooks for the presence of terms that fall naturally into two sets. One set deals with the knowledge and discovery: entrepreneur, innovation, invention, tacit knowledge, and bounded rationality. The other deals with social rules: institutions, property rights, and economic freedom. When the words appear I examine the meaning. I examine the textbooks used in required courses in microeconomics, macroeconomics and industrial organization in all Ph.D. programs in economics in Sweden. The investigation is not specific to Sweden, however, because Ph.D. programs in Sweden are virtually identical to programs in the United States. The same textbooks are used, and nearly all of the textbooks examined are written by economists in the United States. I find that (i) all programs are in the tradition of “mainstream” economics; (ii) by and large, the eight expressions scarcely appear in the textbooks; and (iii) when they do appear, their meaning is diluted or distorted, compared to their meaning in theories where the idea is more central. In my judgment, the results constitute powerful evidence that today’s doctoral programs do not train young economists to identify and analyze important economic issues in a relevant way.
Related content: Working Paper No. 58
2022
Questioning the Entrepreneurial State, 201.
There has been a shift in innovation policy in recent years toward more focus on systemic transformation and changed directionality. In this chapter, we describe a collection of challenges that such policies need to address. Based on a review of dominant frameworks regarding socio-technical transitions, we compare these theories with examples of innovation policy in different countries. Systemic transformation across an economy usually requires a process of creative destruction in which new competencies may be required, actors need to be connected in novel ways, and institutions may need to be changed. Our empirical illustrations show that support programs and initiatives across Europe do not always seem to result in such a process, as they include mechanisms favoring large, established firms and universities. These actors have often fine-tuned their activities and capabilities to the existing order, and therefore have few incentives to engage in renewal. As the incumbent actors also control superior financial and relational resources, there is a risk that they captivate innovation policies and thus reinforce established structures rather than contributing to systemic transformation.
2021
Denna artikel presenterar 2020 års pristagare av Global Award for Entrepreneurship Research – John Haltiwanger – och de bidrag han har gjort inom entreprenörskapsforskningen. Haltiwanger har bl a bidragit till att förbättra vår förståelse av hur jobb skapas och försvinner, kartlägga vilka faktorer som styr produktivitet samt analysera hur småföretag bidrar till den ekonomiska utvecklingen. Hans forskning har inspirerat såväl policydebatt som nationella statistikmyndigheter världen över.
Andersson, M., Henrekson, M., Jack, S., Stenkula, M., Thorburn, K., Wennberg, K. & Zander, I. (2021). Jobbskapande och produktivitet i små kontra nya företag. Ekonomisk Debatt, 2021(7).
2020
Purpose
Digitally intermediated peer-to-peer exchanges have accelerated in occurrence, and as a consequence, they have introduced an increased pluralism of connotations. Accordingly, this paper aims to assess user perceptions of the interplay between the sharing, access, platform, and community-based economies.
Design/methodology/approach
The sharing, access, platform, and community-based economies have been systematically tracked in the social media landscape using Social Media Analytics (SMA). In doing so, a total material of 62,855 publicly posted user-generated content concerning the four respective economies were collected and analyzed.
Findings
Even though the sharing economy has been conceptually argued to be interlinked with the access, platform, and community-based economies, the empirical results of the study do not validate this interlinkage. Instead, the results regarding user perceptions in social media show that the sharing, access, platform, and community-based economies manifest as clearly separated.
Originality/value
This paper contributes to existing literature by offering an empirical validation, as well as an in-depth understanding, of the sharing economy’s interlinkage to other economies, along with the extent to which the overlaps between these economies manifest in social media.