Dr. Gerald Groenewald of the University of Johannesburg has written an article on entrepreneurship in early eighteenth century Dutch Cape Town. I’ve only skimmed the article, but what caught my eye was Groenewald’s references to Austrian economists, including Mises and Kirzner. From the abstract:
This article uses the career of Hendrik Oostwald Eksteen at the Cape between 1702 and 1741 to illustrate the mechanisms free burghers could use to create wealth in an economically restrictive environment. By making use of the concept of entrepreneurship and its attendant issues, the article describes Eksteen’s rise to fortune and prestige through his exploitation of a combination of economic opportunities afforded by Cape Town’s position as a port servicing passing ships. Crucial to Eksteen’s later success was his successful use of the opportunities provided by the monopolistic alcohol retail market at the Cape. [...]
Here’s the complete article.
