Handbook of Entrepreneurship Research An Interdisciplinary Survey and Introduction

Research and theory on entrepreneurial phenomena isadvancing rapidly in scope and quality. The year 2003 is an excellenttime for a comprehensive status report by the best scholars in thefield. Acs and Audretsch have clearly organized such a statement--itwill be a boon to all those seeking an authoritative overview of thecurrent status of entrepreneurial research. The focus on advancedeconomies or the advanced sectors of developing countries reflects theemphasis in the extant research and theory. This new Handbook sets theframework for an expansion of attention to the vast majority ofentrepreneurs--who are operating in the third world.'Paul D Reynolds, London Business School, UK and Babson College, USAIn "The Kluwer Handbook of Entrepreneurship Research," Acsand Audretsch have compiled an impressive collection of contemporarycontributions from many of the very best scholars in entrepreneurshipacross disciplines. It provides doctoral students with a broad yetsolid introduction to the field, and established scholars with anoverview that is otherwise very hard to obtain. It is a must read forevery academic who is serious about entrepreneurship.'Per Davidsson, The Jonkoping International BusinessSchool, SwedenAcs and Audretsch have assembled a virtual who's who list ofresearchers in the fledgling field of entrepreneurship. Even moreusefully, the "Handbook" also includes reviews of the vast arrayof work closely related to entrepreneurship that has appearedprimarily in economics, psychology and sociology journals; despitetheir relevance, locating these studies can prove difficult as theirauthors frequently do not focus on the implications for their researchfor entrepreneurship. As its"Handbook"' label implies, it shouldbe a valuable reference tool for those in the area for years tocome.'Olav Sorenson, University of California, Los Angeles, USA