Introduction

The present section describes the rationale of the whole book, that is, the desirability of studying the phenomenon of proactivity from the perspective of economic theory. In this connection, proactivity is defined as the middle ground between resourcefulness and entrepreneurship, thus potentially serving as a crucial point of reference for an in-depth understanding of phenomena such as employee self-initiative, protean career orientation, gig contracting, and prosumer activism. Subsequently, the structure of the book is presented, and each chapter is introduced with a brief overview. Taken together, they aim to lay the groundwork for a robust and analytically fruitful economic research program on the subject of proactivity.