The finance/innovation nexus in Schumpeterian analysis: theory and application to the case of U.S. trustified capitalism

Joseph Schumpeter built his theory of economic development around the interaction between the entrepreneur and the banker, representations of the underlying finance/innovation nexus. The neo-Schumpeterian revival has marginalized this theoretical element, in favor of an interpretation focused primarily on technological aspects of innovation. Recent attempts by innovation scholars to re-integrate the missing financial elements have been hindered by this theoretical gap. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the recovery of the finance/innovation nexus in the context of Schumpeter’s theory by proposing an original institutional interpretation of the relationship between finance and the entrepreneurial function. The new approach identifies the economic role of innovation as dependent on the contextual form taken by the related funding process. Application of these concepts to the U.S. trustified capitalism experience allows for an alternative interpretation linking corporate internalization of innovation and financial repression. A Schumpeterian trilemma involving monetary capitalism, financial autonomy of the corporate sector and financial stability is revealed. The proposed framework provides a flexible theoretical background for the development of our understanding of the current capitalist regime, open to further integration with other schools of economic thought.     

The housing market,macroeconomic activity and fiancial innovation: an empirical analysis of US data

Recently, several studies have emphasized the role of R&D expenditure in determining Total Factor Productivity (TFP). In this paper it is shown that the relationship between R&D variables and TFP is far from being established. In particular, by using data for the Italian economy, it is found that the estimated effects of R&D variables on TFP crucially depends on: (i) the way in which the production function, used to derive Solow residuals, is defined; (ii) the numbers of maintained hypotheses used to estimate Solow residuals; (iii) the level of aggregation of the data employed in the empirical analysis.     

Entrepreneurship and the systemic consequences of epidemics: A literature review and emerging model

The Covid-19 epidemic is a global challenge requiring adequate public and private responses to overcome the emergency, shape new development trajectories, and prepare for future outbreaks. As socioeconomic turning points, epidemics imply an entrepreneurial response in which not only managers and entrepreneurs, but also policymakers, health professionals, and civil society as a whole are active participants. Using the PRISMA methodology, we provide a comprehensive review of the complex interactions between entrepreneurship and epidemics over time. Applying a combined Kirznerian-Schumpeterian theoretical framework, we find that, in the short term, epidemics trigger a wave of Kirznerian entrepreneurship aimed at reducing the uncertainty generated directly and indirectly by the medical emergency. In the long term, as medical uncertainty abates, Schumpeterian entrepreneurship can contribute to transforming the post-crisis environment, either supporting or undermining the public reaction to the crisis and determining the path of institutionalization, in the process of defining a new normal. Thus, epidemics could lead to unpredictable socioeconomic and technological improvements, but also to highly undesirable outcomes. The construction of a satisfactory new normal requires the integration of entrepreneurial capabilities within the public sector and an explicit policy of cooperation with the private sector. Therefore, as the short-term phase of the Covid-19 pandemic draws to a close, policymakers must shift their focus away from restrictions and obligations towards a collaborative framework supportive of private entrepreneurial efforts.