Welcome
Acclaimed as the “father of modern economics” Cantillon was a “Gallicised merchant, banker and adventurer who wrote the first treatise on economics more than four decades before the publication of the Wealth of Nations.” Most famous for his ‘Essay on the Nature of Commerce in General’ or ‘Essai sur la Nature du Commerce en General’ which was written in French in the early 1730s, but not published until 1755, some years after his death. The Essai, comprises of three major parts, which have been characterised by Frederick A. Hayek as: On Wealth or Production, On Exchange, On International Trade. Download the full Programme for the Richard Cantillon School 2010 (PDF). You may also download an Overview of the 2010 School. (PDF)
Entrepreneur
It is in the first part of the Essai that the first known source of the term ‘entrepreneur’ is found. Cantillon describes an entrepreneur as having a distinct function apart from wage earners and people hired for labour. In Cantillon’s writing entrepreneurs were responsible for bringing about competition and the decentralisation of markets through the application of entrepreneurial decision-making and risk-taking.
Richard Cantillon spent most of his life in France as a wealthy Paris banker and London merchant. He spent some time in London during his early career where he was an Assistant to the British Paymaster James Brydges. It is believed that this is where he became skilled in accounting, negotiating, banking and international finance. He died in a fire at his home in London, allegedly set by his discharged cook.
2010 Richard Cantillon School
The second Richard Cantillon School will take place at Siamsa Tíre, Town Park in Tralee County Kerry from September 8th to the 10th this year. Richard Cantillon School is an initiative of North and East Kerry Development and Kerry County Enterprise Board. It also receives supports from Southwest Regional Authority, Shannon Development and local interest groups. Seminar Partners in 2010 include ECSB (European Council for Small Business and Entrepreneurship) and INTRE (Ireland’s Network of Teachers and Researchers in Entrepreneurship).