Saturday, Jul 26 2025
11:00 AM - 1:00 PM CEST (GMT+2/UTC+2)
Bella Center in Hall B- B1-m6
Join us for a timely PDW that examines current effects of the entrepreneurial ideology - how entrepreneurs are increasingly influencing the political realm and why.
This PDW interrogates how entrepreneurial discourse legitimizes state power, embedding entrepreneurial values within political systems and fostering the acceptance of social inequality. Through three discussion elements, the workshop encourages participants to examine how entrepreneurial norms reframe governance, policymaking, and societal expectations. By extending theoretical and empirical investigations into the entanglements between entrepreneurship, ideology, and political power, the PDW aims to generate new research directions, enriching our understanding of the role of entrepreneurialism in shaping structures.
WORKSHOP FORMAT
Phase 1
3 presentations in which a discussion leader present a provocative framework or research examples on how to productively study the interpenetration of entrepreneurial ideology into the political realm (40 minutes).
Phase 2
PDW Participants will self-select and join one of the three discussions in targeted discussion tables, each led by two key scholars. (Participants who have submitted a paper/proposal will join the appropriate evaluation table (75 minutes).
Phase 3
Each discussion table presents the main insights to inform the agenda of the 2026 Entrepreneurship & Society conference scheduled to take place in San Diego in March 2026 (30 minutes).
During the PDW, experts in each subject will provide a short introduction to current perspectives. Then, participants will self-select into discussion tables led by experts to explore new study ideas. In addition, those who submit accepted papers will meet with paper development senior scholars to help with framing and methodology.
1. The reflective ideology of entrepreneurship: Exploring how entrepreneurial values underpin societal narratives that promote certain forms of political behavior over others or legitimize social inequality (Caliskan & Lounsbury, 2022; Lee, 2024; Wadhwani & Lubinski, 2025; Eberhart, Barley & Nelson, 2022).
2. Entrepreneurial actors (leaders and teams) employing discursive and material practices: Examining how political and corporate leaders deploy entrepreneurial rhetoric and practices to legitimize political policies while maintaining social legitimacy (Adler et al., 2023; Davis, 2012).
3. The diffusion of entrepreneurialism into political and civic realms: Tracing how entrepreneurial ideology shapes public discourse, policy-making, and educational systems in ways that challenge democratic norms (Weiss, Eberhart et al., 2023).
By addressing these elements, this PDW will extend theoretical and empirical efforts in organizational studies to interrogate the entanglements between entrepreneurship, ideology, and political power. The discussions aim to generate new research directions and methodological innovations to deepen our understanding of how entrepreneurial norms and values shape governance systems and societal structures.
Discussants include:
Wes Sine - Cornell University
Seungah Lee - HEC
Lisa Heheberger - ESADE
Christina Lubinsky - Copenhagen Business School
David Kirsch - University of Maryland
Dan Wadhwani - University of Southern California
Robert Eberhart - University of San Diego
We hope to see you for this exciting, provocative, and timely PDW
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Robert Eberhart
Associate Professor
University of San Diego
San Diego CA
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