Introduction: The Sociology of Entrepreneurship
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2007
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The sociology of entrepreneurship is a blossoming field of research, but its scholarly contribution has been critiqued for its lack of coherence and intellectual distance from the sociological mainstream. In this article, we critically examine the theoretical presuppositions of the field, trace its historical origins, and attempt to situate the sociology of entrepreneurship within the sociological canon. We place special emphasis on the contribution of Max Weber, whose early work provides a useful template for a comprehensive approach to understanding the context, process, and effects of entrepreneurial activity. We conclude by locating contemporary approaches to entrepreneurship - including the contributions in this volume - within this neo-Weberian framework. © 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Ruef, M, and M Lounsbury (2007). Introduction: The Sociology of Entrepreneurship. Research in the Sociology of Organizations, 25(SUPPL.). pp. 1–29. 10.1016/S0733-558X(06)25001-8 Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/26674.
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Scholars@Duke
Martin Ruef
My research considers the social context of entrepreneurship from both a contemporary and historical perspective. I draw on large-scale surveys of entrepreneurs in the United States to explore processes of team formation, innovation, exchange, and boundary maintenance in nascent business startups. My historical analyses address entrepreneurial activity and constraint during periods of profound institutional change. This work has considered a diverse range of sectors, including the organizational transformation of Southern agriculture and industry after the Civil War, African American entrepreneurship under Jim Crow, the transition of the U.S. healthcare system from professional monopoly to managed care, and the character of entrepreneurship during early mercantile and industrial capitalism.
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