Entrepreneurs on Horseback: Reflections on the Organization of Law

Abstract:     
Law and entrepreneurship is an emerging field of study. Skeptics might wonder whether law and entrepreneurship is a variant of that old canard, The Law of the Horse. In this essay, we defend law and entrepreneurship against that charge and urge legal scholars to become more engaged in the wide-ranging scholarly discourse regarding entrepreneurship. In making our case, we argue that research at the intersection of entrepreneurship and law is distinctive. In some instances, legal rules and practices are tailored to the entrepreneurial context, and in other instances, general rules of law find novel expression in the entrepreneurial context. As a result, the study of law and entrepreneurship yields unique insights about both law and entrepreneurship.

Keywords: Entrepreneurship, Law and Entrepreneurship, Law of the Horse

JEL Classifications: K12, K20, K22, M13

Accepted Paper Series