IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/respol/v52y2023i2s0048733322001962.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

From hackers to start-ups: Innovation commons and local entrepreneurial activity

Author

Listed:
  • Cuntz, Alexander
  • Peuckert, Jan

Abstract

In hacker communities, tech-savvy pioneers collect and share information on nascent technologies. The pool of information shared among users reduces uncertainty about digital technology, but, first and foremost, it reveals entrepreneurial opportunities to users in the community, which is a central tenet of innovation commons theory. In this paper, we are first to explore the role of local hackerspaces for digital entrepreneurship in German counties using cross-sectional time series data. We find that longer-lasting hackerspaces are strongly correlated with the level of digital entrepreneurship in regions, particularly in agglomerations and urban contexts.

Suggested Citation

  • Cuntz, Alexander & Peuckert, Jan, 2023. "From hackers to start-ups: Innovation commons and local entrepreneurial activity," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 52(2).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:respol:v:52:y:2023:i:2:s0048733322001962
    DOI: 10.1016/j.respol.2022.104675
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048733322001962
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.respol.2022.104675?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Falck, Oliver & Fritsch, Michael & Heblich, Stephan, 2011. "The phantom of the opera: Cultural amenities, human capital, and regional economic growth," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 18(6), pages 755-766.
    2. Eric von Hippel, 1986. "Lead Users: A Source of Novel Product Concepts," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 32(7), pages 791-805, July.
    3. Patrick Cohendet & David Grandadam & Raphaël Suire, 2021. "Reconsidering the dynamics of local knowledge creation: Middlegrounds and local innovation commons in the case of FabLabs," Post-Print hal-03622101, HAL.
    4. Feldman, Maryann P. & Audretsch, David B., 1999. "Innovation in cities:: Science-based diversity, specialization and localized competition," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 43(2), pages 409-429, February.
    5. Frey, Bruno S & Oberholzer-Gee, Felix, 1997. "The Cost of Price Incentives: An Empirical Analysis of Motivation Crowding-Out," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 87(4), pages 746-755, September.
    6. Jean Tirole & Roland Bénabou, 2006. "Incentives and Prosocial Behavior," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 96(5), pages 1652-1678, December.
    7. Madaleno, Margarida & Nathan, Max & Overman, Henry & Waights, Sevrin, 2018. "Incubators, Accelerators and Regional Economic Development," IZA Discussion Papers 11856, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    8. Evans, David S & Jovanovic, Boyan, 1989. "An Estimated Model of Entrepreneurial Choice under Liquidity Constraints," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 97(4), pages 808-827, August.
    9. Zoltan J. Acs & Erik Stam & David B. Audretsch & Allan O’Connor, 2017. "The lineages of the entrepreneurial ecosystem approach," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 49(1), pages 1-10, June.
    10. Michael Storper & Anthony J. Venables, 2004. "Buzz: face-to-face contact and the urban economy," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 4(4), pages 351-370, August.
    11. Celine Schulz & Stefan Wagner, 2010. "Outlaw Community Innovations," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: Stephen Flowers & Flis Henwood (ed.), Perspectives On User Innovation, chapter 8, pages 191-210, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    12. Halbinger, Maria A., 2018. "The role of makerspaces in supporting consumer innovation and diffusion: An empirical analysis," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 47(10), pages 2028-2036.
    13. Michael Fritsch, 2019. "The regional emergence of innovative start-ups: a research agenda," Chapters, in: David B. Audretsch & Erik E. Lehmann & Albert N. Link (ed.), A Research Agenda for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, chapter 6, pages 74-90, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    14. Eric von Hippel, 2007. "Horizontal innovation networks—by and for users," Industrial and Corporate Change, Oxford University Press and the Associazione ICC, vol. 16(2), pages 293-315, April.
    15. Zoltán J. Ács & Erkko Autio & László Szerb, 2015. "National Systems of Entrepreneurship: Measurement issues and policy implications," Chapters, in: Global Entrepreneurship, Institutions and Incentives, chapter 28, pages 523-541, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    16. Haifeng Qian, 2010. "Talent, creativity and regional economic performance: the case of China," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 45(1), pages 133-156, August.
    17. Cowan, Robin & Zinovyeva, Natalia, 2013. "University effects on regional innovation," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 42(3), pages 788-800.
    18. Patrick Cohendet & David Grandadam & Chahira Mehouachi & Laurent Simon, 2018. "The local, the global and the industry common: the case of the video game industry," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 18(5), pages 1045-1068.
    19. Jeffrey L. Furman & Markus Nagler & Martin Watzinger, 2021. "Disclosure and Subsequent Innovation: Evidence from the Patent Depository Library Program," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, American Economic Association, vol. 13(4), pages 239-270, November.
    20. Susann Schäfer & Sebastian Henn, 2018. "The evolution of entrepreneurial ecosystems and the critical role of migrants. A Phase-Model based on a Study of IT startups in the Greater Tel Aviv Area," Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 11(2), pages 317-333.
    21. Stuetzer, Michael & Obschonka, Martin & Audretsch, David B. & Wyrwich, Michael & Rentfrow, Peter J. & Coombes, Mike & Shaw-Taylor, Leigh & Satchell, Max, 2016. "Industry structure, entrepreneurship, and culture: An empirical analysis using historical coalfields," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 52-72.
    22. Bradonjic, Philip & Franke, Nikolaus & Lüthje, Christian, 2019. "Decision-makers’ underestimation of user innovation," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(6), pages 1354-1361.
    23. Zoltan J. Acs & Luc Anselin & Attila Varga, 2008. "Patents and Innovation Counts as Measures of Regional Production of New Knowledge," Chapters, in: Entrepreneurship, Growth and Public Policy, chapter 11, pages 135-151, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    24. Baldwin, Carliss & Hienerth, Christoph & von Hippel, Eric, 2006. "How user innovations become commercial products: A theoretical investigation and case study," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(9), pages 1291-1313, November.
    25. Cassar, Gavin, 2004. "The financing of business start-ups," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 19(2), pages 261-283, March.
    26. Bonander, Carl & Jakobsson, Niklas & Podestà, Federico & Svensson, Mikael, 2016. "Universities as engines for regional growth? Using the synthetic control method to analyze the effects of research universities," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 198-207.
    27. Williams, Michael R. & Hall, Joshua C., 2015. "Hackerspaces: a case study in the creation and management of a common pool resource," Journal of Institutional Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 11(4), pages 769-781, December.
    28. Ron Boschma & Dirk Fornahl, 2011. "Cluster Evolution and a Roadmap for Future Research," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 45(10), pages 1295-1298, November.
    29. Sophie Boutillier & Ignasi Capdevila & Laurent Dupont & Laure Morel, 2020. "Collaborative spaces promoting creativity and innovation," Post-Print hal-02878132, HAL.
    30. David Grandadam & Patrick Cohendet & Laurent Simon, 2013. "Places, Spaces and the Dynamics of Creativity: The Video Game Industry in Montreal," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 47(10), pages 1701-1714, November.
    31. Robert E. Carpenter & Bruce C. Petersen, 2002. "Capital Market Imperfections, High-Tech Investment, and New Equity Financing," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 112(477), pages 54-72, February.
    32. Bastian Lange & Elke Schüßler, 2018. "Unpacking the middleground of creative cities: spatiotemporal dynamics in the configuration of the Berlin design field," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 52(11), pages 1548-1558, November.
    33. Elitzur, Ramy & Gavious, Arieh, 2003. "Contracting, signaling, and moral hazard: a model of entrepreneurs, 'angels,' and venture capitalists," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 18(6), pages 709-725, November.
    34. Sophie Boutillier & Ignasi Capdevila & Laurent Dupont & Laure Morel, 2020. "Collaborative Spaces Promoting Creativity and Innovation," Journal of Innovation Economics, De Boeck Université, vol. 0(1), pages 1-9.
    35. Richard Langlois & Giampaolo Garzarelli, 2008. "Of Hackers and Hairdressers: Modularity and the Organizational Economics of Open-source Collaboration," Industry and Innovation, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 15(2), pages 125-143.
    36. Rothaermel, Frank T. & Thursby, Marie, 2005. "Incubator firm failure or graduation?: The role of university linkages," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 34(7), pages 1076-1090, September.
    37. Robert W. Fairlie & Frank M. Fossen, 2020. "Defining Opportunity versus Necessity Entrepreneurship: Two Components of Business Creation," Research in Labor Economics, in: Change at Home, in the Labor Market, and On the Job, volume 48, pages 253-289, Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
    38. King, Gary & Nielsen, Richard, 2019. "Why Propensity Scores Should Not Be Used for Matching," Political Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 27(4), pages 435-454, October.
    39. Svensson, Peter O. & Hartmann, Rasmus Koss, 2018. "Policies to promote user innovation: Makerspaces and clinician innovation in Swedish hospitals," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 47(1), pages 277-288.
    40. Adrian Smith, 2017. "Social Innovation, Democracy and Makerspaces," SPRU Working Paper Series 2017-10, SPRU - Science Policy Research Unit, University of Sussex Business School.
    41. Agarwal, Rajshree & Shah, Sonali K., 2014. "Knowledge sources of entrepreneurship: Firm formation by academic, user and employee innovators," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 43(7), pages 1109-1133.
    42. Bester, Helmut, 1985. "Screening vs. Rationing in Credit Markets with Imperfect Information," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 75(4), pages 850-855, September.
    43. Zoltan Acs & Sameeksha Desai & Jolanda Hessels, 2008. "Entrepreneurship, economic development and institutions," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 31(3), pages 219-234, October.
    44. Browder, Russell E. & Aldrich, Howard E. & Bradley, Steven W., 2019. "The emergence of the maker movement: Implications for entrepreneurship research," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 34(3), pages 459-476.
    45. Nathan, Max, 2007. "The Wrong Stuff? Creative Class Theory and Economic Performance in UK Cities," MPRA Paper 29486, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    46. Letizia Mortara & Nicolas Gontran Parisot, 2016. "Through entrepreneurs’ eyes: the Fab-spaces constellation," International Journal of Production Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 54(23), pages 7158-7180, December.
    47. Müller, Simon C. & Böhm, Markus & Krcmar, Helmut & Welpe, Isabell M., 2016. "Machbarkeitsstudie: Geschäftsmodelle in der digitalen Wirtschaft," Studien zum deutschen Innovationssystem 12-2016, Expertenkommission Forschung und Innovation (EFI) - Commission of Experts for Research and Innovation, Berlin.
    48. Franke, Nikolaus & Shah, Sonali, 2003. "How communities support innovative activities: an exploration of assistance and sharing among end-users," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 32(1), pages 157-178, January.
    49. Adrian Smith & Sabine Hielscher & Sascha Dickel & Johan Söderberg & Ellen van Oost, 2013. "Grassroots Digital Fabrication and Makerspaces: Reconfiguring, Relocating and Recalbirating Innovation?," SPRU Working Paper Series 2013-02, SPRU - Science Policy Research Unit, University of Sussex Business School.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Yuan Feng & Ying Li & Changfei Nie, 2024. "Digital technology innovation and synergy of pollution control and carbon reduction: empirical evidence from digital patents in Chinese cities," Economic Change and Restructuring, Springer, vol. 57(6), pages 1-29, December.
    2. Alexander Cuntz & Carsten Fink & Hansueli Stamm, 2024. "Artificial Intelligence and Intellectual Property : An Economic Perspective," WIPO Economic Research Working Papers 77, World Intellectual Property Organization - Economics and Statistics Division.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Claussen, Jörg & Halbinger, Maria A., 2021. "The role of pre-innovation platform activity for diffusion success: Evidence from consumer innovations on a 3D printing platform," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 50(8).
    2. Resch, Christian & Kock, Alexander, 2021. "The influence of information depth and information breadth on brokers’ idea newness in online maker communities," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 50(8).
    3. de Jong, Jeroen P.J. & Rigtering, Coen & Spaans, Lara, 2023. "Heroes of diffusion: Making user innovations widely available," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 52(8).
    4. Yu, Xin & Zhang, Ting & Bogers, Marcel L.A.M., 2023. "Why do user innovators want to pursue user entrepreneurship? On the influence of the communitarian identity," Journal of Business Venturing Insights, Elsevier, vol. 20(C).
    5. Hottenrott, Hanna & Richstein, Robert, 2020. "Start-up subsidies: Does the policy instrument matter?," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 49(1).
    6. Chong Yu & Masatoshi Kato, 2024. "Does user entrepreneurship matter for start-up financing? Evidence from Japan," Discussion Paper Series 275, School of Economics, Kwansei Gakuin University.
    7. William R. Kerr & Frederic Robert-Nicoud, 2020. "Tech Clusters," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 34(3), pages 50-76, Summer.
    8. Pfister, Curdin & Koomen, Miriam & Harhoff, Dietmar & Backes-Gellner, Uschi, 2021. "Regional innovation effects of applied research institutions," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 50(4).
    9. Tabarés, Raúl & Kuittinen, Hanna, 2020. "A tale of two innovation cultures: Bridging the gap between makers and manufacturers," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 63(C).
    10. Oo, Pyayt P. & Allison, Thomas H. & Sahaym, Arvin & Juasrikul, Sakdipon, 2019. "User entrepreneurs' multiple identities and crowdfunding performance: Effects through product innovativeness, perceived passion, and need similarity," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 34(5), pages 1-1.
    11. Patrick Cohendet & David Grandadam & Raphaël Suire, 2021. "Reconsidering the dynamics of local knowledge creation: Middlegrounds and local innovation commons in the case of FabLabs," Post-Print hal-03622101, HAL.
    12. Honjo, Yuji & Nakamura, Hiroki, 2020. "The link between entrepreneurship and informal investment: An international comparison," Japan and the World Economy, Elsevier, vol. 54(C).
    13. Preißner, Stephanie & Raasch, Christina & Schweisfurth, Tim, 2017. "Is necessity the mother of disruption?," Kiel Working Papers 2097, Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel).
    14. Zoltan J. Acs & Abraham K. Song & László Szerb & David B. Audretsch & Éva Komlósi, 2021. "The evolution of the global digital platform economy: 1971–2021," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 57(4), pages 1629-1659, December.
    15. Pedeliento, Giuseppe & Bettinelli, Cristina & Andreini, Daniela & Bergamaschi, Mara, 2018. "Consumer entrepreneurship and cultural innovation: The case of GinO12," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 92(C), pages 431-442.
    16. Ross Brown & Colin Mason, 2017. "Looking inside the spiky bits: a critical review and conceptualisation of entrepreneurial ecosystems," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 49(1), pages 11-30, June.
    17. Maria Roszkowska-Menkes, 2017. "User Innovation: State of the Art and Perspectives for Future Research," Journal of Entrepreneurship, Management and Innovation, Fundacja Upowszechniająca Wiedzę i Naukę "Cognitione", vol. 13(2), pages 127-154.
    18. Block, Jörn H. & Henkel, Joachim & Schweisfurth, Tim G. & Stiegler, Annika, 2016. "Commercializing user innovations by vertical diversification: The user–manufacturer innovator," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 45(1), pages 244-259.
    19. Meek, Shelby Renee & Tietz, Matthias A., 2022. "Entrepreneurship and subjective vs objective institutional performance: A decade of US hospital data," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(9).
    20. Halbinger Maria A., 2020. "The Relevance of Makerspaces for University-based Venture Development Organizations," Entrepreneurship Research Journal, De Gruyter, vol. 10(2), pages 1-4, April.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Communities of practice; Innovation commons; Hackerspaces; Entrepreneurship; Digital economy;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O30 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - General
    • R11 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Regional Economic Activity: Growth, Development, Environmental Issues, and Changes
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:respol:v:52:y:2023:i:2:s0048733322001962. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/respol .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.