Entrepreneurship in Norway's economic and religious nineteenth-century transformation

This paper advances the discussion of a connection between religion and economic change in Norway in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. While the economic impact of marginalized religious groups in Britain is fairly well documented, there is little in the economic history literature on the role of such groups in Scandinavia. We focus on the entrepreneurial initiatives of one major religious maverick in Norway, Hans Nielsen Hauge (1771–1824). The literature on nonconformists in Britain is used to inform the discussion of why Hauge came into prominence. Important similarities and differences between Hauge and nonconformists in Britain are highlighted. Moreover, modern economic theory of entrepreneurship is used to explain Hauge's extensive success as an entrepreneur and business man. This analysis suggests that Hauge's approach to business development stimulated important performance factors, such as motivation, personal agency, and alertness to market disequilibrium.