Entrepreneurship for all? The rise of a global “entrepreneurship for development” agenda, 1950–2021

Abstract

This article provides a macro-sociological analysis of the rise and transformation of entrepreneurship as an ideology in international development discourse over time. Drawing upon over 5,000 documents produced by UNESCO and the World Bank from 1950 to 2021, this article examines how dominant ideas around applications and purposes of entrepreneurship, as well as the role of the entrepreneur, in international development discourse evolved over time. The article illustrates that entrepreneurship in international development discourse underwent a shift from the 1950s to the 2010s, with a marked change occurring around the turn of the twenty-first century. It argues that the role and purposes of entrepreneurship become increasingly expanded over time to be viewed as a solution that can address the world’s social, economic, cultural, and environmental challenges. It further asserts that entrepreneurship, influenced by world cultural norms of empowered individualism and agency, becomes perceived as something that any individual can engage in as long as they have the motivation, drive, and vision to do so. The idealized image and purpose of the entrepreneur by the twenty-first century is no longer someone motivated by economic gain; instead, the ideal entrepreneur is inspired by a desire to influence change in the world toward development and progress.