Essential Schumpeter: Creative Destruction
Welcome to the essential ideas of Joseph Schumpeter.
The phrase “creative destruction” was popularized by economist Joseph
Schumpeter to describe the entrepreneurial process. What Schumpeter
observed is that entrepreneurship simultaneously creates something new...
while destroying something old. Consider this example: in the late 1800s the horse
and buggy was the most widespread form of transportation and it included a vast
array of businesses and workers: people who raised horses... leather shops that
made the harnesses and equipment... blacksmiths who forged and repaired the
metal fittings, and so on. One day Jane, an entrepreneur, saw the vast potential for
profit if a horse could be replaced by a machine.
Jane created a prototype that attracted some attention. At first these
"automobiles" were an interesting novelty that attracted a few customers. But Jane
made enough profit to pay her workers and other costs – the first sign she was
onto something. As Jane continued to innovate, more people wanted to buy her
automobiles. With the additional revenue, Jane hired more workers to speed up
production and moved into a larger space, which helped her lower prices, making
the automobile accessible to more people. Soon, other entrepreneurs entered the
automobile industry and added further innovations, This eventually lowered the
price, and demand for automobiles increased… while demand for horse-and-
buggies declined. This transfer of resources from the horse and buggy
industry to the automobile industry had far reaching implications for the entire
economy.Stables that raised horses began laying off staff… leather shops switched
switched to making leather car seats… and blacksmiths started fashioning parts for
automobiles. Eventually many of the old industry's workers found employment in
the new industry, or elsewhere in the growing economy. One of Schumpeter's
greatest contributions to economics was his observation that the destructive
element to entrepreneurship was necessary to reap the rewards of new,
creative entrepreneurship and innovation. For more information on Joseph
Schumpeter, visit EssentialSchumpeter.org and to learn about more essential
scholars, visit EssentialScholars.org
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