Miner, Anne S. --- "Preface" [2011] ELECD 423; in Ghosh, Shubha; Malloy, Paul Robin (eds), "Creativity, Law and Entrepreneurship" (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2011)

Book Title: Creativity, Law and Entrepreneurship

Editor(s): Ghosh, Shubha; Malloy, Paul Robin

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

ISBN (hard cover): 9781848449879

Section Title: Preface

Author(s): Miner, Anne S.

Number of pages: 2

Extract:

Preface
Anne S. Miner

Creativity, Law and Entrepreneurship makes an important contribution
to entrepreneurship research and to organization theory more broadly.
Many scholars see entrepreneurship as a process involving imagining
opportunities, and then taking action to create new ventures. The process
of creation lies at the heart of most definitions of entrepreneurship, even
though its definition varies and is to some degree contested.
Popular wisdom embraces two conflicting views of the law. In one
vision, the law is the natural enemy of the creation of novel action and
entities: it promotes consistency and constrains novel behavior. In the
other vision, the law can promote the creation of socially valuable entities
­ whether creative art projects, scientific inventions or new organizations.
This book plays an important role in helping build conditional theories of
when and how the law shapes creative action, in contrast to both of the
overly simplistic visions.
This volume highlights that the law plays a crucial role in creativ-
ity in society broadly, and specifically in the context of entrepreneurial
processes. As revealed in this book, the law can play several affirmative
proactive roles in encouraging creativity in society, as well as in shaping
when valuable creative ideas become reality. The law shapes whether, and
which, creative ideas see the light of day. It shapes what new organiza-
tional forms can arise. It influences conditions in which new individend
organizations can be created and supported. It shapes which organizations
are seen as legitimate and therefore more able to gain ...