Introduction
The study of the evolution of entrepreneurship has attracted many scholars from different disciplines. The entrepreneurship field is most dynamic in management and social science (Audretsch, 2012); its development is somehow astonishing, since a few decades ago it was âsparse, virtually non-existent; it was mostly irrelevantâ (Audretsch, 2012: 755).
From a first analysis of the distribution of theoretical contributions to the field, we can say that the issue has attracted scholars from business, management, economics and environmental studies.1
A sort of dualism characterises entrepreneurship: on one side the individualistic pressure and on the other the need for the development of a scientific field (Aldrich & Howard, 2012).
Academicians in the entrepreneurial field have been able to establish a long career in many prestigious universities (Aldrich & Howard, 2012; Landstrom, Harirchi, & Astrom, 2012) and to create groups of scholars that have focused on some specific issues.
The debate on the field of entrepreneurship is endless. In a paper published in
1996, Harrison and Leitch describe the typical situation that scholars in entrepreneurship must face.
We are asked âWhat is do you do?â and we reply âIâm a professor of entrepreneurshipâ or âIâm an entrepreneurship researcher.â Almost invariably, this provokes the follow-up question âWhat is entrepreneurship?â or âWhat exactly do you do?â which asks us to define, explain and characterize our subject. This is not, it must be noted, a situation faced by others: for example, pilots, teachers of physics, or students or medicine do not usually go through this question-and-answer session. (Harrison & Leitch, 1996, p. 66)
To define entrepreneurship is extremely difficult; to define what researchers in entrepreneurship do is even more arduous.
In this chapter, our aim is to describe how entrepreneurship has evolved as a research field. We also want to outline what are the drivers that have promoted research in this field. In our vision, the understanding of the reasons behind academic interests towards some theoretical issues can help evaluate future trends and development. What follows is a fascinating journey in cultural and economic changes seen through the lens of research in entrepreneurship.
Drivers
Research in entrepreneurship is in continuous evolution; it is not only growing by dimension, but also by âcoverageâ or, in other words, by thematic issues. In the literature, the question âwhere is research in entrepreneurship going?â often emerges. Boshoff, Bennett and Owusu (1992) in the early 1990s have explored the present and future directions of research in the field. The authors, as well as other scholarsâsee, for example, Bruton, Ahlstrom and Li (2008), Coombs, Sadrieh and Annavarjula (2009), Bruton, Ahlstrom, and Li (2010) or Macke, Sarate, Domeneghini, Silva, and Da (2018)âhave investigated the development of research in entrepreneurship with the aim of understanding phases, trends and future directions. Each contribution reflects the scholarsâ approach, the scope of the study and the background theory.
Several drivers promote a change in entrepreneurship and, as a consequence, they influence scholarly research in the field. There is no doubt that the changes that take place in the industry contribute to transforming the features of entrepreneurship (Agarwal & Braguinsky, 2015). Some scholars have explored the relationship between industry characteristics and entrepreneurship; in some cases, the presence of small companies promotes the growth of entrepreneursâ population (Carlsson et al., 2013). Nevertheless, some characteristics of the industry can foster or inhibit entrepreneurial behaviour: barriers to entrance, financial resources or technological development can dissuade start-uppers or new entrants (Lofstrom, Bates, & Parker, 2014).
Changes in society and technology have revolutionised the features of entrepreneurship: the digitalisation process has created new paths for entrepreneurs (Landstrom, 2020).
For instance, the opportunities created by the web and digital economy have represented a breeding ground for e-entrepreneurs, who focus on the development of e-commerce companies (Matlay, 2004). At the same time, the development of web-based relationships and networks has reshaped the characteristics of entrepreneursâor e-entrepreneursâwho had to develop specific skills.
Yet, universities have a leading role in creating the conditions for a change in entrepreneurship and its promotion among students (Link, Siegel, & Wright, 2015). There is no doubt that educational institutions focusing on entrepreneurship stimulate new venture creations (Gerosa & Tirapani, 2013). Furthermore, the recognition of the proactive role of educational institutions in promoting entrepreneurial development has nurtured the attention for this type of programmes that have received financial support from institutions, associations or government.
The literature examines the phenomenon of evolution in entrepreneurship. Among the various contributions, we summarise the work by Landstrom (2020) that clearly outlines evolutionary paths in entrepreneurship. What we can observe is a fluid research field where new topics progressively grow.
Entrepreneurship, as a research area, strongly emerged in the seventies.
Landstrom (2020) highlights five periods in research: âthe forerunners in mainstream disciplines, the formation of the field, the growth of entrepreneurship research, the golden era, and finally, the establishment of a scholarly field in its own rightâ (p. 1).
The life cycle of entrepreneurship described by Landstrom (2020) shows the journey of this research field: researchers initially have to strive for attracting scholars interest and for achieving support for their research. Then, scholars concentrate their efforts on disseminating findings and on stimulating an academic debate; they aim at increasing research in entrepreneurship. When a topic achieves notoriety than the number of publications that deal with the issue grows, the final step is the full recognition of a scholarly field of study.
The process of recognition of entrepreneurship as a scholarly field is challenging: background research shows that positive outcomes of entrepreneurship have attracted the interest of academicians and institutions. As an example, we can think about the relationship between entrepreneurs and small business.
The recognised importance of the role of entrepreneurship in the flourishing of small businesses and start-ups has nurtured research: entrepreneurship, seen as one of the critical drivers for job creation (Boshoff, Bennett, & Owusu, 1992), has found support and encouragement not only from academics but also from institutions. Institutions and policymakers gained awareness about the role of entrepreneurship for revitalising the job market and promoting local development. In other words, supporting entrepreneurship means for governments to sustain local communities through job creation.
Thus, changes are happening at all levels of society and involve many types of organisations: an exampleâpreviously outlinedâconcerns the digitalisation of markets. Education changed, too: new needs emerge from communities, and they stimulate not only research but also educational programmes.
The change itself of the academic and university landscape outlines the importance of researching in the field of entrepreneurship. The development of some research and educational programmes over the last two decades confirms the changes occurring in the Higher Education System. The revolution that is taking place at a global level is clearly described by Etzkowitz (2001), who writes: âUniversities have become engines of regional economic development, developing new organisational mechanisms for this purpose as well as for the conservation, extension and dissemination of knowledge. Opportunities to translate research into industrial applications were always present, yet few ...
