Entrepreneurship and Economic Development: The People and their Environment

Description

The U.S. is home to some of the largest corporations on the planet. American entrepreneurs spawned massive companies such as Facebook, Google, Apple, Amazon, and Oracle. Founders of these companies became very wealthy. Government entities and consumers benefited from the unmarketable products entrepreneurial visionaries developed. Entrepreneurship and Economic Development: The People and their Environment provides in-depth case studies of contemporary entrepreneurs that are building the future. The author argues that the famous billionaire entrepreneurs of today such as Gates, Bezos, Zuckerberg, Bloomberg, Page, Brin, Ellison and others possessed individual drive and talent. However, it is also argued that talent may not be enough. Talent withers or thrives in its social, cultural, political and legal environment. The environment of the U.S. and its entrepreneurial "ecosystem" has been conducive to innovators and entrepreneurs of the past such as Benjamin Franklin, Levi Strauss, Henry Ford, and Andrew Carnegie and Thomas Edison. This book explores how both talent and context influence entrepreneurial development. Cover Half Title Title Page Copyright Page Dedication Contents List of Figures and Tables Figures Tables Preface Acknowledgment Part I: The Setting, Strategies, and Theories of Development Chapter 1: The Economic and Governmental Setting Laissez-Faire Economics Centralized Planning and Economic Development Mixed Economies and U.S. Industrial Policy Criticism of Centralized Planning, Mixed Economies and Environmental Influences Environmental Influences Plan of Book Chapter 2: Strategies for Economic Development Phases or Waves of Economic Development Policy Five Phase View of Economic Development Contemporary Relevance of Phases Links between Phases of Economic Development and Entrepreneurship Perspectives to View Growth and Decline Chapter 3: Entrepreneurship Theories Economic Entrepreneurship Theories Psychological Entrepreneurship Theories Sociological Entrepreneurship Theories Anthropological Entrepreneurship Theory Opportunity-Based Entrepreneurship Theory Resource-Based Entrepreneurship Theory Integrating Theories of Entrepreneurship Part II: Entrepreneurs and Their Environment Chapter 4: Contemporary Entrepreneurs Methodology of Investigation Findings of Investigation Case Studies of Selected Entrepreneurs Brief Biographies of Remaining Successful Entrepreneurs Unsuccessful Ventures Explanations for Entrepreneurship: An Empirical Inquiry Commonalities of Entrepreneurs Chapter 5: The Educational and Legal Environment for Development Institutional Environment for Entrepreneurship Utility of a Positive Educational Environment Early History of U.S. Educational System Later Influences on the U.S. Educational System Influences of Great Depression, Cold War, and Sputnik on Education Innovation and Higher Education Comparative U.S. Educational Performance Entrepreneurship, Regulation, Property Rights, and Taxation Role of Universities in Business Creation and Innovation Corruption and Entrepreneurship Evidence of Favorable U.S. Environment for Business Creation Chapter 6: The Social and Political Environment for Development Social Environment Social Environment of the United States and Immigration U.S. Culture and Its Effect on Development Contributions of European Political Environment Philosophers on U.S. Political Conservative Influences on U.S. Political System Progressive Influence on the U.S. Political System Future of U.S. Social and Political Environment Part III: Decline of U.S. Entrepreneurial Dynamism? Chapter 7: Challenges to U.S. Entrepreneurship Entrepreneurship, Institutional Setting, and Economic Development Tolerance, Politics, Laws, Education, and Economic Development U.S. Exceptionalism and Entrepreneurialism? Political and Economic Value of Entrepreneurship Summary of Key Points and Takeaways of Audiences Contributions of the Book, Takeaways, and Implications of Entrepreneurship Bibliography Index About the Author