Entrepreneurship is a fragmented field of research and its multiple components are observed and analysed by economists, sociologists, historians, psychologists, and specialists of behavioural science, education or management sciences (Filion 1997). This emerging field is also subject to numerous controversies. While everywhere in the world entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship are increasingly debated topics, a lot remains to be done as to what these notions entail exactly, both theoretically and practically. In this chapter, we present the three main streams of research within which three visions of entrepreneurship seem to emerge. We will first review the genesis and foundations of this academic field.

Genesis and foundations of entrepreneurship

Three fundamental questions synthesise most of the research in entrepreneurship. Inspired from a formulation by Stevenson and Jarillo (1990), this triple question can be put as follows: ‘What on earth is s/he doing …?’, ‘Why on earth is s/he doing …?’ and ‘How on earth is s/he doing …?’ (Tornikoski 1999). We recognise here the functional approaches (What) of economists, the individual-based approaches (Why and Who) of behavioural specialists, and the process-based approaches (How) of management specialists. First, we will examine the points of view of economists interested in the influence of entrepreneurship and entrepreneurs on the development of the economic system. Following this first overview, we will successively present the approaches based on individuals and processes.

Economists' objects and perspectives

The historical foundations of entrepreneurship belong to economics.