Discourses of Entrepreneurship

13th Annual International Sustainable Development Research Conference
June 10-12, 2007 in Västerås, at the beautiful lake Mälaren, Sweden.
Track 6: Entrepreneurship - a key to sustainable development?

http://www.eki.mdh.se/sdconf07/track6/

There is a tension between dominant discourses of entrepreneurship rooted in neoliberal ideologies and sustainable development. We see the powers of globalisation and regionalisation at work simultaneously. The balancing of these powers is crucial to the long-term development and sustainability of the society. At the same time sustainability as a vision of an alternative society and a source for opportunities for value creation requires the release and mobilization of entrepreneurial forces in a plurality of forms. In this sense entrepreneurship is a key to a sustainable society.

In order to mobilise entrepreneurial sources and forces for sustainable development, we believe there is as need to widen the discourses and practices of entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship in a traditional and narrow perspective tends to strengthen existing structures leading to further urbanisation and segregation. If not balanced up this perspective not only leads to greater concentration of wealth but also sometimes foster impoverishment of local societies (dis-entrepreneurship). This track therefore focuses on the emerging broader perspective on entrepreneurship where attention is given to value driven entrepreneurship in the mediation between business and community, at the intersection of economy, public processes and nature. We believe that such broader perspectives often require a greater emphasis on local communities and the empowerment of discriminated and marginalised regions, groups and individuals.

Entrepreneurship in this broader meaning has led to the emergence of a number of entrepreneurship sub-themes such as:

* Social/public entrepreneurship
* Community entrepreneurship
* Collective entrepreneurship, e.g. in the form of broad partnerships, networks or social movements
* Indigenous entrepreneurship
* Women entrepreneurship
* Ethnic entrepreneurship
* Entrepreneurship, learning and education

We welcome papers that refer to these sub-themes and similar aspects of entrepreneurship where the significance of entrepreneurship in the development of a sustainable society is explicitly discussed. The track also invites researchers to merge the research traditions of entrepreneurship and sustainable development theoretically, ideologically and in terms of practical approaches.