A.-R.-J. Turgot and the Construction of an Economic Agent called Entrepreneur

The entrepreneurial function as just one factor of production is actually being the point of a depth discussion in entrepreneurship research. It could be the cause of some confusion which impeders theoretical developments and it also makes difficult the effectiveness of pro-entrepreneurial programs. The aim of this article is to analyse the origin of this factor of production. For this purpose, we look back to the 18th century in order to analyze Turgot’s works (1727-1781) by means of a new conceptual framework that distinguishes between different productive agents. A series of analytical problems are exposed when the entrepreneurship is linked to a separate economic agent.