This paper outlines the relevance of Schumpeter's model and conception of entrepreneurship for political science. While students of politics have studied Schumpeter's views of democracy, his views on entrepreneurship have been neglected by political scientists. Following a brief overview of other definitions of entrepreneurship, Schumpeter's model is presented here. Using the examples of contemporary populist politicians, it is argued that these share many of the characteristics of Schumpeter's entrepreneurs and that the application of his model provides a new perspective on political science.
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