Overview
My research considers the social context of entrepreneurship from both a contemporary and historical perspective. I draw on large-scale surveys of entrepreneurs in the United States to explore processes of team formation, innovation, exchange, and boundary maintenance in nascent business startups. My historical analyses address entrepreneurial activity and constraint during periods of profound institutional change. This work has considered a diverse range of sectors, including the organizational transformation of Southern agriculture and industry after the Civil War, African American entrepreneurship under Jim Crow, the transition of the U.S. healthcare system from professional monopoly to managed care, and the character of entrepreneurship during early mercantile and industrial capitalism.
Current Appointments & Affiliations
Jack and Pamela Egan Distinguished Professor of Entrepreneurship
·
2013 - Present
Sociology,
Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
Professor in the Department of Sociology
·
2013 - Present
Sociology,
Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
Core Faculty in Innovation & Entrepreneurship
·
2018 - Present
Duke Innovation & Entrepreneurship,
University Initiatives & Academic Support Units
Recent Publications
Evolutionary Perspectives on Entrepreneurship
Chapter · June 16, 2025 Full text Link to item CiteThe Unpeculiar Institution: Patterson's Global Perspective on Enslavement
Journal Article Ethnic and Racial Studies · March 20, 2025 Over the course of a distinguished career, Orlando Patterson has become the most prominent social scientist examining enslavement on a global scale. In this review essay, I consider the distinctive advantages offered by Patterson’s historiographic approach ... Full text CiteEducation, Training & Certifications
Stanford University ·
1999
Ph.D.
Stanford University ·
1994
M.A.
Virginia Polytech Institute and State University ·
1990
B.S.