Deconstructing Research on Regulation and Entrepreneurship: A Foucauldian Discourse Analysis

Jacquemin, Amélie;Janssen, Frank
(2013) 8th International Conference in Critical Management Studies — Location: Manchester (Grande Bretagne) (10.July.2013)

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The starting point of this article was a review of empirical studies investigating the impact of regulation on entrepreneurship. We got the impression of the predominance of an economic approach to regulation’s impact on entrepreneurship. This article aims at investigating the power implications of the predominance of an economic approach of regulation and the role of compliance costs as a discursive argument for why regulation should be removed or better constructed. As we propose to take a closer look at how researchers construct the relationships between regulations and entrepreneurship, our study builds on a constructionist epistemology. We used the Foucauldian framework for discourse analysis developed by Ahl (2004, 2007). Our deconstruction confirmed the predominance of the economic approach, stressing cost, quality and efficiency issues regarding regulation. This approach can be associated with the liberal doctrine in favour of deregulation. We finally stress that the emergence of a complementary sociological view of regulation, looking at the way entrepreneurs adapt their behaviors to new regulations, could be useful to go further than the sole “constraining” dimension of regulation. It allows researchers to investigate “enabling” dimensions of regulation.
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Jacquemin, A., & Janssen, F. (2013). Deconstructing Research on Regulation and Entrepreneurship: A Foucauldian Discourse Analysis. 8th International Conference in Critical Management Studies, Manchester (Grande Bretagne). https://hdl.handle.net/2078.5/194187