Howard Aldrich

Abstract

Howard Aldrich’s work is characterized by true scientific curiosity and a theoretical strength that is unique in entrepreneurship research. Aldrich has been true to his theoretical framework ever since he started to develop his thoughts around the evolutionary approach, an approach that, for many years, has underpinned most of his research and demonstrated the potential of a strong conceptual framework in the area of entrepreneurship and small business issues. He has proved that it is possible to achieve a far-reaching understanding of entrepreneurship by means of a consistent theoretical language. Based on the evolutionary approach, Howard Aldrich has not only made significant contributions in the area of formation and development of new firms, but also in other sub-topics of entrepreneurship such as the role of ethnicity, networks, and gender in the formation and growth of organizations.