“Hoarding Opportunities – Entrepreneurship and Inequality”: Conference at the MPIfG

The international conference “Hoarding Opportunities – Entrepreneurship and Inequality” took place at the MPIfG from September 25 to 27. Around twenty researchers explored the dynamics of entrepreneurship in the context of social inequality. The starting point for their discussions was the concept of “opportunity hoarding” as introduced by Charles Tilly. According to his concept, certain groups or networks monopolize access to entrepreneurial opportunities, which not only perpetuates but also deepens social inequalities. Opportunity hoarding can be observed in many contexts, from among sole traders who create exclusive niches in certain service sectors to entrepreneurial families who preserve their wealth through inheritance. The conference aimed to decipher these complex dynamics and critically examine how opportunity hoarding shapes entrepreneurial activity across its broad spectrum. The organizing team were Isabell Stamm, Katharina Scheidgen, Alexandra Manske, and Katharina Mojescik.