TY - JOUR
T1 - Cultural entrepreneurs and the origins of modern economic growth
AU - Mokyr, Joel
PY - 2013/3
Y1 - 2013/3
N2 - The concept of entrepreneur is a central one in economic history. The definition of entrepreneur is extended here to include 'cultural entrepreneurs' and show how they can be integrated into the new modern economic interpretation of 'culture' as agents who change the beliefs of others. This concept can help us understand one of the central dilemmas of modern economic history, namely how the new institutional economic history can be deployed to understand modern economic growth. Cultural changes in the early modern age led to institutional changes that made Europe more friendly to innovation. In that process, two English figures can be seen as central, Francis Bacon and Isaac Newton. The essay shows how they meet the definition of a cultural entrepreneur and how their work coordinated and focused cultural change that was instrumental in preparing the ground for the Industrial Revolution.
AB - The concept of entrepreneur is a central one in economic history. The definition of entrepreneur is extended here to include 'cultural entrepreneurs' and show how they can be integrated into the new modern economic interpretation of 'culture' as agents who change the beliefs of others. This concept can help us understand one of the central dilemmas of modern economic history, namely how the new institutional economic history can be deployed to understand modern economic growth. Cultural changes in the early modern age led to institutional changes that made Europe more friendly to innovation. In that process, two English figures can be seen as central, Francis Bacon and Isaac Newton. The essay shows how they meet the definition of a cultural entrepreneur and how their work coordinated and focused cultural change that was instrumental in preparing the ground for the Industrial Revolution.
KW - Industrial Revolution
KW - entrepreneurship
KW - institutional economics
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84875939878&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/03585522.2012.755471
DO - 10.1080/03585522.2012.755471
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AN - SCOPUS:84875939878
SN - 0358-5522
VL - 61
SP - 1
EP - 33
JO - Scandinavian Economic History Review
JF - Scandinavian Economic History Review
IS - 1
ER -