Professor em. J. Hanns Pichler born 1936 in Aspach, Austria. Graduated from Vienna University of Economics and Business, (Master’s 1958; Doctorate 1960) and Univ. of Illinois, USA (M.Sc. Economics/Econometrics, 1963); Dr. habil. in Economics (1967). Senior Economist/Resident Representative, World Bank Group (1965-74) with far ranging responsibilities in Latin America, the Caribbean, Eastern Africa, and especially South & South-East Asia. From 1973/74 full professor (chair: "Political Economy and International Development); Head, Department & Institute of Economics, 1975-2004; Emeritus since 2004.
Senior Schumpeter Fellow, Center for European Studies/Harvard University. President/Chairman and memberships of various scientific as well as professional societies and institutions; Editor/Editorial Board member of national/international scientific journals with receognition and distribution world wide. Dean/;Legatus, European Academy of Sciences & Arts (til 2012); Consultant/Representative, ICOMP-International Council on Management of Population Programs; Consultant World Bank Group and UNIDO; Arbitrator, I.C.S.I.D. (World Bank); Overseas Supervisor, China Scholarship Council; Past President, International Council for Small Business (ICSB).
Awards/Honours: Best Thesis Award, Austrian Chambre of Labour (1960); Cardinal lnnitzer Science Award (1966); University of Economics Honours Prize (1982); Austrian Cross of Honour for Science & Art, First Class (1988); Leopold Kunschak-Award (1990); Honorary Doctorate in Economics, Cath. Univ. Brussels (1994); Grand Decoration of Honour in Silver to the Republic of Austria (2001); Wilford White Fellow, International Council for Small Business (2003); Knight, Old Order of St. George (2006);American Order of Merit („OM“, 2009); ICSB President’s Award for Outstanding Services (2009); abi, Hall of Fame (2010); PhD Certificate in Gold, Vienna University of Economics & Business (2010); Honorary Fellow, Academia Scientiarum et Artium Europaea (2013); Fellow, ECSB (2014)
Listings in various Who is Who editions and international scientific directories. Numerous books, contributions and articles in a broad specter of scientific journals on international economic issues, international finance, development and development strategies; on business leadership, entrepreneurial values and attitudes, on SME structures, related policy issues and entrepreneurship.
In trying to paintbrush background and scientific "environs" when Schumpeter`s visionary "Theory of Economic Development" (1912) came out, classical and neoclassical thought as well as Marx’ "Capital" (in all its volumes) had been exposed already for some time to scholarly scrutiny by the learned community.
In contrast to the Classics, the Neoclassics and Marx though, Schumpeter explicitly pins his interpretation of the economic process on the role or – in his own words – on the "leadership" of the entrepreneur: being depicted as an agent of change, of innovation and, thereby, of the very dynamics of long run development of a market-based system. Only later on – especially with the English translation in 1934 - this original notion of business "leadership" was popularised as the "pioneering" role (in the very first edition of the "Theory" being referred to by implication only, never explicitly so).
We shall refrain here from reiterating the widely known "five cases" or criteria of the Schumpeterian entrepreneur. Emphasis rather should be placed on pinpointing the not so obvious, the more hidden notion of what – in Schumpeter`s view – really is driving the market-oriented ("capitalist") process; of what, in the end, typifies its underlying dynamics as a kind of ingeniously perceived dialectical "paradox".
In neither classical-neoclassical nor Marxist visions, the entrepreneur explicitly figures. It is Schumpeter`s truly seminal interpretation of the capitalist process, wherein the entrepreneur as such takes centre stage as the "pioneering" driving force in a dialectic sense as, in fact, sort of villain, as the "antithesis" to the market system. As indeed an element constantly striving to outmanoeuvre constraining competition, to "trick" given market conditions and, thereby, forever to challenge "the system" itself, or more pointedly still: when and wherever possible to be, or to become, a monopolist.
In an essentially market-based context, this not only characterises the very nature and understanding of Schumpeterian entrepreneurship, it at the same time reveals the subtlety of its intrinsically underlying – and as such non-Marxist - dialectics.
Apart from Schumpeter`s subsequent more pessimistic outlook as to the sustainability of the entrepreneur`s ever so demanding role, his basic notion quite specifically also relates to, and as such emphasises, the particular socio-economic exposure under whichever conditions: in referring to the very challenging role of seizing the "kairos" of given opportunities, of carrying them through and bringing them to economic fruition. A role unavoidably fraught with risks, with unforeseeable human action and decisions which true entrepreneurship constantly is being faced with and unable to freely extricate or steal itself away from.
When relating this to modern entrepreneurship, its pivotal role in both a global and especially so in a structural as well as developmental context, Schumpeter`s vision nowadays, more than ever in times of dynamic change, may serve as a guide for any entrepreneurially oriented policy formulation.
For a policy geared to providing a framework conducive to entrepreneurial initiative and leadership, to fostering business opportunities for the benefit of society as a whole, or putting it somewhat differently: for creating conditions where doing business, in both its entrepreneurial and its socio-economic relevance, simply remains and is being recognised as rewarding an undertaking well worth the efforts going along with.
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1Cf. his equally famous, Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy“, 1942.
