THREE DECADES OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP RESEARCH: A REVIEW OF THE HIGHER STATURE INTERNATIONAL JOURNALS ON ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Abstract

Entrepreneurship research has soared over the last three decades, partly based on applying theories and constructs from other disciplines and partly delving into its own object of study.  In this paper we conduct a bibliometric study on eight top ranked journals for entrepreneurship research to capture a broad view and the structure of accumulated knowledge. Methodologically, we analyze most prolific authors and nationalities, citations and works with higher impact, co-citations to understand the intellectual structure of the field, and the themes researched, to understand the focus of research. The analyses used a sample of 1.414 articles published over a thirty years period, from 1981 to 2010. Results show the growth in entrepreneurship research, that North American academy has been prominent, that entrepreneurship research has been largely eclectic concerning the theories and phenomena examined, integrating the main management theories, and permit us examine the intellectual structure binding works and theories. Schumpeter (1934) is the most cited work and five research themes have captured more attention: ‘Entrepreneurial process’, ‘Environmental and external determinants of entrepreneurship’, ‘Methods, theories and research issues’, ‘Value creation and performance’ e ‘Psychological, cognitive and individual characteristics’. We conclude pointing areas and topics that warrant scholars’ attention for future research.