Research Handbook on Entrepreneurial Ecosystems
Published on 8. May 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
608 pages
978-1-0494-1472-0 (ISBN)
Description
Bringing together cutting-edge insights and critical perspectives, this Research Handbook advances the understanding of the development, dynamics, and different facets of entrepreneurial ecosystems.
Structured around seven compelling themes, this Research Handbook examines the foundations, the mindset, voice and practice of key actors, and distinct cross-cultural contexts of entrepreneurial ecosystems. Chapters consider the important role of academic entrepreneurship before exploring the governance and evolution of digital entrepreneurship and sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystems. They conclude by addressing one of the most challenging practice and policy issues, the measurement of entrepreneurial ecosystems. Adopting a broad contextualization approach that draws on empirical insights and perspectives from an array of geographical, institutional and cultural contexts, it paves the way for promising future research avenues in entrepreneurial ecosystems.
Interdisciplinary and thorough, this Research Handbook is an essential resource for students and scholars of social entrepreneurship, organizational innovation, and public policy and business management more broadly. Its explorations of place-based innovation and mission-oriented approaches to entrepreneurship will appeal to entrepreneurs and policymakers alike.
Structured around seven compelling themes, this Research Handbook examines the foundations, the mindset, voice and practice of key actors, and distinct cross-cultural contexts of entrepreneurial ecosystems. Chapters consider the important role of academic entrepreneurship before exploring the governance and evolution of digital entrepreneurship and sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystems. They conclude by addressing one of the most challenging practice and policy issues, the measurement of entrepreneurial ecosystems. Adopting a broad contextualization approach that draws on empirical insights and perspectives from an array of geographical, institutional and cultural contexts, it paves the way for promising future research avenues in entrepreneurial ecosystems.
Interdisciplinary and thorough, this Research Handbook is an essential resource for students and scholars of social entrepreneurship, organizational innovation, and public policy and business management more broadly. Its explorations of place-based innovation and mission-oriented approaches to entrepreneurship will appeal to entrepreneurs and policymakers alike.
Reviews / Votes
'This is a much-needed Handbook! Entrepreneurial ecosystems have emerged as an exciting research area. While in the beginning, our focus has been limited to high-growth companies preferably in tech sectors, the field is now embracing topics like cross-cultural contexts, informality, digitalization and sustainability. This Handbook is an important step forward as we move towards a broader understanding of these systems.' -- Heike Mayer, University of Bern, Switzerland 'Entrepreneurship ecosystems are an emerging, yet overused and undertheorized term. This Research Handbook, led by a cadre of talented scholars, cuts through the conceptual noise to deliver a thoughtful, practical guide. With an emphasis on conceptualization, methodology, and measurement, it provides scholars with an excellent foundation for impactful theorization.' -- Christopher Hayter, Georgia Institute of Technology, USA 'Dive into the dynamic world of entrepreneurship with this insightful Handbook on building thriving ecosystems. A must-read for anyone aspiring to understand, navigate and actively contribute to the pulse of successful, innovative and sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystems.' -- Christina Theodoraki, Aix-Marseille University, France 'An exceptional collection of writings by eminent scholars. The editors have developed a taxonomy of ecosystem topics that will define the scope of future research. A volume that is a must for the libraries of all who study entrepreneurship.' -- Albert N. Link, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, USAMore details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Cheltenham
United Kingdom
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 244 mm
Width: 169 mm
ISBN-13
978-1-0494-1472-0 (9781049414720)
Copyright in bibliographic data is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or its licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Edited by James A. Cunningham, Newcastle University, UK, Matthias Menter, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Germany, Conor O'Kane, University of Otago, New Zealand and Marco Romano, University of Catania, Italy
Content
Contents
1 Entrepreneurial ecosystems: evolving themes and reflections 1
James A Cunningham, Matthias Menter, Conor O'Kane and Marco Romano
PART I ENTREPRENEURIAL ECOSYSTEM FOUNDATIONS
2 The historical roots of entrepreneurial ecosystems 21
Michael Fritsch and Michael Wyrwich
3 Theorizing entrepreneurial ecosystems by taking a systems view? 42
Erik E. Lehmann
4 Dimensions of entrepreneurial ecosystems: sources of heterogeneous
configurations 62
Bruno Brandao Fischer, Andre Cherubini Alves and Nicholas S. Vonortas
PART II ENTREPRENEURIAL ECOSYSTEM ACTORS: MINDSET,
VOICE AND PRACTICE
5 Entrepreneur archetypes in regional entrepreneurial ecosystems 82
Margarietha J. de Villiers Scheepers and Lisa J. Daniel
6 Embracing the "village" or going it alone? understanding the
entrepreneurial ecosystem mindset 99
Philip T. Roundy
7 Bringing the entrepreneurial voice to the fore in entrepreneurial ecosystems 116
Seppo Luoto, Greg O'Shea, Henri Hakala and Krista Anttila
8 A framework for entrepreneurship within an ecology of practices 133
Carlos Machado and Munira Aminova
PART III ENTREPRENEURIAL ECOSYSTEMS AND
CROSS-CULTURAL CONTEXTS
9 Co-creating important actors and factors in indigenous entrepreneurship
ecosystems: developing the Ruruku Canvas 166
Jesse Pirini and Stephen Cummings
10 The role of entrepreneurial ecosystems in shaping internationalisation
decisions and the entrepreneurial mindset 188
Hannes Velt, Anna Vuorio, Ewa Dobrzanska and Olli Kuivalainen
11 Entrepreneurial ecosystems in the informal economy: a case study of
mototaxi drivers in Colombia 212
Norida Vanegas-Chinchilla, Jana Schmutzler, Andrea Porras-Paez and Jorge
Juliao Rossi
12 Entrepreneurial ecosystems and diaspora: how do remittances and
migration affect country of origin early-stage entrepreneurial activity? 238
Veneta Andonova and Jonathan Perez
13 A typology of trans-local knowledge circulation between
entrepreneurial ecosystems 276
Susann Schaefer and Andreas Kuebart
14 Do the human and social capital of startups matter for initial hiring
decisions and survival? An empirical application to the Portuguese
entrepreneurial ecosystem 291
Dina Pereira and Joao Leitao
PART IV ENTREPRENEURIAL ECOSYSTEMS AND ACADEMIC
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
15 How integrating systematic design enabled role clarity and
collaboration during the formation of a science-innovation team 318
Louisa Choe, Katharina Ruckstuhl and Rafaela Rabello
16 The sustainability of academic entrepreneurial ecosystems 337
Alice Civera, Michele Meoli and Silvio Vismara
17 The entrepreneurial university: a crucial catalyst in the entrepreneurial
ecosystem 350
Alex Maritz, Quan Nguyen, Gerrit de Waal and Abby Shrivastava
PART V DIGITAL ENTREPRENEURIAL ECOSYSTEMS AND GOVERNANCE
18 Reviewing digital entrepreneurial ecosystems: an integrative framework
and future research agenda 369
Valeska Maul, Robert Rose and Katharina Hoelzle
19 Open data-driven ecosystems: an empirical validation 392
Melita Nicotra, Alessia Munnia, Francesco Russo and Antonino Zingale
20 Linking sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystems and governance models
in a new European smart city 414
Nicola Farronato, Veronica Scuotto, Marco Pironti, Manlio Del Giudice and
David Ricketts
21 Looking inside entrepreneurial ecosystem coordination events: a policy
assemblage approach 426
Stephen Knox
22 More money, more innovation? The role of government connectedness 443
Jing A. Zhang and Conor O'Kane
23 Towards sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystems 465
David Audretsch and Maksim Belitski
24 Developing sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystems: the role of different
ecosystem types and links 475
Jens Kaus, Man Yang, Niels Faber and Gjalt de Jong
25 Exploring grassroots innovation for sustainable development in
entrepreneurial ecosystems 495
Simone Gibellato, Asha Thomas, Massimiliano Farina Briamonte, Antonio
Usai and Fabio Fiano
PART VI THE MEASUREMENT OF ENTREPRENEURIAL ECOSYSTEMS
26 Are entrepreneurial ecosystems measurable? What the literature says
about moving forward 517
Ana Joana C. Fernandes, Joao J. Ferreira and Lawrence Dooley
27 Measuring entrepreneurial ecosystems 553
Donato Iacobucci and Francesco Perugini
1 Entrepreneurial ecosystems: evolving themes and reflections 1
James A Cunningham, Matthias Menter, Conor O'Kane and Marco Romano
PART I ENTREPRENEURIAL ECOSYSTEM FOUNDATIONS
2 The historical roots of entrepreneurial ecosystems 21
Michael Fritsch and Michael Wyrwich
3 Theorizing entrepreneurial ecosystems by taking a systems view? 42
Erik E. Lehmann
4 Dimensions of entrepreneurial ecosystems: sources of heterogeneous
configurations 62
Bruno Brandao Fischer, Andre Cherubini Alves and Nicholas S. Vonortas
PART II ENTREPRENEURIAL ECOSYSTEM ACTORS: MINDSET,
VOICE AND PRACTICE
5 Entrepreneur archetypes in regional entrepreneurial ecosystems 82
Margarietha J. de Villiers Scheepers and Lisa J. Daniel
6 Embracing the "village" or going it alone? understanding the
entrepreneurial ecosystem mindset 99
Philip T. Roundy
7 Bringing the entrepreneurial voice to the fore in entrepreneurial ecosystems 116
Seppo Luoto, Greg O'Shea, Henri Hakala and Krista Anttila
8 A framework for entrepreneurship within an ecology of practices 133
Carlos Machado and Munira Aminova
PART III ENTREPRENEURIAL ECOSYSTEMS AND
CROSS-CULTURAL CONTEXTS
9 Co-creating important actors and factors in indigenous entrepreneurship
ecosystems: developing the Ruruku Canvas 166
Jesse Pirini and Stephen Cummings
10 The role of entrepreneurial ecosystems in shaping internationalisation
decisions and the entrepreneurial mindset 188
Hannes Velt, Anna Vuorio, Ewa Dobrzanska and Olli Kuivalainen
11 Entrepreneurial ecosystems in the informal economy: a case study of
mototaxi drivers in Colombia 212
Norida Vanegas-Chinchilla, Jana Schmutzler, Andrea Porras-Paez and Jorge
Juliao Rossi
12 Entrepreneurial ecosystems and diaspora: how do remittances and
migration affect country of origin early-stage entrepreneurial activity? 238
Veneta Andonova and Jonathan Perez
13 A typology of trans-local knowledge circulation between
entrepreneurial ecosystems 276
Susann Schaefer and Andreas Kuebart
14 Do the human and social capital of startups matter for initial hiring
decisions and survival? An empirical application to the Portuguese
entrepreneurial ecosystem 291
Dina Pereira and Joao Leitao
PART IV ENTREPRENEURIAL ECOSYSTEMS AND ACADEMIC
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
15 How integrating systematic design enabled role clarity and
collaboration during the formation of a science-innovation team 318
Louisa Choe, Katharina Ruckstuhl and Rafaela Rabello
16 The sustainability of academic entrepreneurial ecosystems 337
Alice Civera, Michele Meoli and Silvio Vismara
17 The entrepreneurial university: a crucial catalyst in the entrepreneurial
ecosystem 350
Alex Maritz, Quan Nguyen, Gerrit de Waal and Abby Shrivastava
PART V DIGITAL ENTREPRENEURIAL ECOSYSTEMS AND GOVERNANCE
18 Reviewing digital entrepreneurial ecosystems: an integrative framework
and future research agenda 369
Valeska Maul, Robert Rose and Katharina Hoelzle
19 Open data-driven ecosystems: an empirical validation 392
Melita Nicotra, Alessia Munnia, Francesco Russo and Antonino Zingale
20 Linking sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystems and governance models
in a new European smart city 414
Nicola Farronato, Veronica Scuotto, Marco Pironti, Manlio Del Giudice and
David Ricketts
21 Looking inside entrepreneurial ecosystem coordination events: a policy
assemblage approach 426
Stephen Knox
22 More money, more innovation? The role of government connectedness 443
Jing A. Zhang and Conor O'Kane
23 Towards sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystems 465
David Audretsch and Maksim Belitski
24 Developing sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystems: the role of different
ecosystem types and links 475
Jens Kaus, Man Yang, Niels Faber and Gjalt de Jong
25 Exploring grassroots innovation for sustainable development in
entrepreneurial ecosystems 495
Simone Gibellato, Asha Thomas, Massimiliano Farina Briamonte, Antonio
Usai and Fabio Fiano
PART VI THE MEASUREMENT OF ENTREPRENEURIAL ECOSYSTEMS
26 Are entrepreneurial ecosystems measurable? What the literature says
about moving forward 517
Ana Joana C. Fernandes, Joao J. Ferreira and Lawrence Dooley
27 Measuring entrepreneurial ecosystems 553
Donato Iacobucci and Francesco Perugini