For a long time, academia ignored the important roles played in an economy by such factors as creative destruction and entrepreneurship. Even today, in most economics programs, an economy is described primarily according to the National Income Accounting equations, in which government actions such as fiscal and monetary policy are the prime determinants.
But entrepreneurship is making its way onto more and more campuses. In fact, the growth of entrepreneurship programs is explosive: in 1985, there were only 250 courses on the subject nationwide, while today there are 5,000. With their increased presence comes more focus on the age-old question: can entrepreneurship be taught or is it hard-wired into us?
Today’s Pope Center commentary presents arguments by two distinguished writers on the topic. One, by former president of two universities (the University of Montana and Old Dominion) and economist James V. Koch, suggests that entrepreneurship is primarily a matter of our inherent gifts. The other, by Buck Goldstein, Internet entrepreneur and “Entrepreneur in Residence” at UNC-Chapel Hill, suggests that entrepreneurship is more a “habit of mind” that can be developed.