Colombian entrepreneurship, 1850-2000: a Micro-Cosmos of Latin American Entrepreneurship? An Approach to its Main Features

Abstract

In this article the origins and basis of Colombian entrepreneurship since 1850 are examined and a number of their main features are outlined within the framework of Latin American entrepreneurship. The article draws on Colombian business historiography which, as in the case of Latin America as a whole, shows an increase in output and quality since early 1990s. An overview of its evolution is portrayed. The features of Colombian entrepreneurship dealt with are: its regional basis in this, a «country of regions» with natural resources, social and cultural differentiation; a pattern of high business and investment diversification; the role of land as a means of accumulation; and the important entrepreneurial performance of immigrants in this «non-immigrants land». These traits constitute a legacy whose positive and negative aspects may be critically scrutinized through theoretically oriented business history research. In this perspective, some useful theoretical inputs are outlined.