Economics of Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship is an integral part of economic change and growth. Yet until recently it has been largely neglected by economists. In The Economics of Entrepreneurship, Simon C. Parker draws on theoretical insights and recent empirical findings to show how economics can contribute to our understanding of entrepreneurship. The book is based on an earlier work, The Economics of Self-employment and Entrepreneurship (Cambridge University Press, 2004), that has quickly become an essential reference for academics researching the economics of entrepreneurship. Written in a more accessible style, this book contains much that made this earlier work so successful and, in addition, includes improved pedagogical features and new material on the theory of the firm, spin-offs, nascent entrepreneurship, growth-enhancing knowledge spillovers and social entrepreneurship. It can be used both as a reference text for academics from a variety of disciplines and as a textbook for graduate students. • First book to provide a succinct account of the economic analysis of entrepreneurship • Provides strong theoretical analysis of entrepreneurship that is imperfectly formed or incomplete in most business-management perspectives • Non-technical writing style enhances readability, making it suitable for those who study entrepreneurship from other disciplinary perspectivesContentsList of figures; List of tables; Preface; 1. Introduction; Part I. Selection: 2. Theories of entrepreneurship; 3. Empirical methods in entrepreneurship research; 4. Evidence about the determinants of entrepreneurship; 5. Ethnic entrepreneurship and immigration; 6. Female entrepreneurship; Part II. Financing: 7. Debt finance for entrepreneurial ventures; 8. Venture capital and other sources of finance; 9. Wealth and entrepreneurship; Part III. Performance: 10. Entrepreneurship, job creation and innovation; 11. Entrepreneurship and growth; 12. Entrepreneurial effort; 13. Entrepreneurs' incomes and returns to human capital; 14. Survival; Part IV. Public Policy: 15. Principles of entrepreneurship policy; 16. Finance and innovation policies; 17. Taxation, regulation and other policies; Index.