Proactivity in Economics

Between plain resourcefulness and full-blooded entrepreneurship lies a middle ground of proactivity which, as this book argues, is a concept that allows economists to make better sense of activity where an individual takes greater agency over their personal outcomes through the existing employment or additional activity. In this way, proactivity can help economists develop greater understanding of undervalued or understudied areas such as employee self-initiative, protean career orientation, gig contracting, and prosumer activism. In theoretical terms: if economics is perceived as the investigation of the logic of human action, this book presents the case for the concept of proactivity being seen as a vital aspect of the process whereby economic agents bring about more desirable states of affairs with the use of scarce means. Through their proactiveness, individuals can combine several conventionally defined economic roles (e.g., conscious consumers and independent producers or frontline workers and quasi-entrepreneurs) and sources of income (e.g. regular wages and performance-based quasi-profits or regular wages and minority shareholder profits). In turn, this makes it possible to identify previously underappreciated sources of economic growth and furnishes additional arguments against ideas – such as economic nationalism – whose implementation is likely to stunt the productive potential of individuals. This book will be of interest to readers in economic theory, entrepreneurship, economic development, and behavioral economics.