The Underbelly of Entrepreneurship: A Multilevel Perspective of Destructive Entrepreneurship

Abstract

Destructive entrepreneurship is an important research topic because it challenges the frequent implicit assumption that all entrepreneurship is “good.” Recent scholarly interest has been directed toward destructive entrepreneurship from various perspectives, including economics, psychology, and business ethics. This article offers a comprehensive review of the literature on destructive entrepreneurship. We begin with a definition of destructive entrepreneurship, distinguishing it from seemingly similar constructs, such as unproductive entrepreneurship. We organize the fragmented studies into a multilevel model highlighting what we know about destructive entrepreneurship. This study also reveals potential holes in this framework that future research can fill.