Cultural entrepreneurs and the origins of modern economic growth

Joel Mokyr

Scandinavian Economic History Review, 2013, vol. 61, issue 1, 1-33

Abstract: 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.

Date: 2013
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DOI: 10.1080/03585522.2012.755471

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