IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/kap/sbusec/v60y2023i3d10.1007_s11187-022-00623-8.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Regional entrepreneurial ecosystems: learning from forest ecosystems

Author

Listed:
  • Allan O’Connor

    (University of South Australia)

  • David Audretsch

    (University of South Australia
    Indiana University)

Abstract

Despite the emerging body of literature on entrepreneurial ecosystems (EEs), theoretical development is still in its infancy. In this article, we explicitly draw upon the analogy of forest ecosystems (FEs) with an EE to extrapolate the regional entrepreneurial ecosystem (REE) as an alternate conceptual framework. The REE considers a region’s socioeconomic activity and the stability of its performance as a whole, influenced by partitioned interests of economics, social arrangements, physical environment, knowledge and the technology that each contributes to the community’s industry and economic order. We contend that it is when an EE is defined by a regional dimension that it is analogous to the study of forests. In this REE analysis, neither the entrepreneur nor their firm are the unit of analysis, but it is the change and stability of the regional socioeconomic ecosystem itself that becomes the priority. Scholars, interested in the effects of entrepreneurship, can learn from ecological studies to more fully grasp the interplay between compositional, structural, and functional elements and specifically how entrepreneurs account for change dynamics.

Suggested Citation

  • Allan O’Connor & David Audretsch, 2023. "Regional entrepreneurial ecosystems: learning from forest ecosystems," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 60(3), pages 1051-1079, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:sbusec:v:60:y:2023:i:3:d:10.1007_s11187-022-00623-8
    DOI: 10.1007/s11187-022-00623-8
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11187-022-00623-8
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s11187-022-00623-8?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. Romer, Paul M, 1986. "Increasing Returns and Long-run Growth," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 94(5), pages 1002-1037, October.
    2. 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.
    3. Kuckertz, Andreas, 2019. "Let's take the entrepreneurial ecosystem metaphor seriously!," Journal of Business Venturing Insights, Elsevier, vol. 11(C), pages 1-1.
    4. David, Audretsch & Donald, Kuratko & Albert, Link, 2015. "Making Sense of the Elusive Paradigm of Entrepreneurship," UNCG Economics Working Papers 15-4, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Department of Economics.
    5. Rhiannon Pugh & Jana Schmutzler & Alexandra Tsvetkova, 2021. "Taking the systems approaches out of their comfort zones: Perspectives from under explored contexts," Growth and Change, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 52(2), pages 608-620, June.
    6. Zhang, Jingjie & Gurkan, Zeren & Jørgensen, Sven Erik, 2010. "Application of eco-exergy for assessment of ecosystem health and development of structurally dynamic models," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 221(4), pages 693-702.
    7. Koen Frenken & Frank Van Oort & Thijs Verburg, 2007. "Related Variety, Unrelated Variety and Regional Economic Growth," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 41(5), pages 685-697.
    8. Alessandro Muscio & Alasdair Reid & Lorena Rivera Leon, 2015. "An empirical test of the regional innovation paradox: can smart specialisation overcome the paradox in Central and Eastern Europe?," Journal of Economic Policy Reform, Taylor and Francis Journals, vol. 18(2), pages 153-171, April.
    9. Alessandro Muscio & Alasdair Reid & Lorena Rivera Leon, 2015. "An empirical test of the regional innovation paradox: can smart specialisation overcome the paradox in Central and Eastern Europe?," Journal of Economic Policy Reform, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 18(2), pages 153-171, June.
    10. Roundy, Philip T. & Brockman, Beverly K. & Bradshaw, Mike, 2017. "The resilience of entrepreneurial ecosystems," Journal of Business Venturing Insights, Elsevier, vol. 8(C), pages 99-104.
    11. Krisztina Horváth & Rodrigo Rabetino, 2019. "Knowledge-intensive territorial servitization: regional driving forces and the role of the entrepreneurial ecosystem," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 53(3), pages 330-340, March.
    12. Benyamin B. Lichtenstein, 2011. "Levels and degrees of emergence: toward a matrix of complexity in entrepreneurship," International Journal of Complexity in Leadership and Management, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 1(3), pages 252-274.
    13. Clarysse, Bart & Wright, Mike & Bruneel, Johan & Mahajan, Aarti, 2014. "Creating value in ecosystems: Crossing the chasm between knowledge and business ecosystems," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 43(7), pages 1164-1176.
    14. 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.
    15. David B. Audretsch & James A. Cunningham & Donald F. Kuratko & Erik E. Lehmann & Matthias Menter, 2019. "Entrepreneurial ecosystems: economic, technological, and societal impacts," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 44(2), pages 313-325, April.
    16. Erik Stam, 2015. "Entrepreneurial Ecosystems and Regional Policy: A Sympathetic Critique," European Planning Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 23(9), pages 1759-1769, September.
    17. Howard E. Aldrich, 1990. "Using an Ecological Perspective to Study Organizational Founding Rates," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 14(3), pages 7-24, April.
    18. Roundy, Philip T. & Bradshaw, Mike & Brockman, Beverly K., 2018. "The emergence of entrepreneurial ecosystems: A complex adaptive systems approach," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 1-10.
    19. Kok, Kristiaan P.W. & Loeber, Anne M.C. & Grin, John, 2021. "Politics of complexity: Conceptualizing agency, power and powering in the transitional dynamics of complex adaptive systems," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 50(3).
    20. Ben Spigel, 2017. "The Relational Organization of Entrepreneurial Ecosystems," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 41(1), pages 49-72, January.
    21. Oughton, Christine & Landabaso, Mikel & Morgan, Kevin, 2002. "The Regional Innovation Paradox: Innovation Policy and Industrial Policy," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 27(1), pages 97-110, January.
    22. Pengfei Li, 2018. "A tale of two clusters: knowledge and emergence," Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 30(7-8), pages 822-847, August.
    23. David B. Audretsch & Maksim Belitski, 2021. "Towards an entrepreneurial ecosystem typology for regional economic development: the role of creative class and entrepreneurship," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 55(4), pages 735-756, April.
    24. Jeroen Content & Niels Bosma & Jacob Jordaan & Mark Sanders, 2020. "Entrepreneurial ecosystems, entrepreneurial activity and economic growth: new evidence from European regions," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 54(8), pages 1007-1019, July.
    25. László Szerb & Esteban Lafuente & Krisztina Horváth & Balázs Páger, 2019. "The relevance of quantity and quality entrepreneurship for regional performance: the moderating role of the entrepreneurial ecosystem," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 53(9), pages 1308-1320, September.
    26. 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.
    27. K. J. Arrow, 1971. "The Economic Implications of Learning by Doing," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: F. H. Hahn (ed.), Readings in the Theory of Growth, chapter 11, pages 131-149, Palgrave Macmillan.
    28. Arthur T. Denzau & Douglass C. North, 1994. "Shared Mental Models: Ideologies and Institutions," Kyklos, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 47(1), pages 3-31, February.
    29. André Pahnke & Friederike Welter, 2019. "The German Mittelstand: antithesis to Silicon Valley entrepreneurship?," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 52(2), pages 345-358, February.
    30. Boyd Cohen, 2006. "Sustainable valley entrepreneurial ecosystems," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 15(1), pages 1-14, January.
    31. Allan O’Connor & Erik Stam & Fiona Sussan & David B. Audretsch, 2018. "Entrepreneurial Ecosystems: The Foundations of Place-based Renewal," International Studies in Entrepreneurship, in: Allan O'Connor & Erik Stam & Fiona Sussan & David B. Audretsch (ed.), Entrepreneurial Ecosystems, pages 1-21, Springer.
    32. Massimo G. Colombo & Giovanni Battista Dagnino & Erik E. Lehmann & MariPaz Salmador, 2019. "The governance of entrepreneurial ecosystems," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 52(2), pages 419-428, February.
    33. Parisa Maroufkhani & Ralf Wagner & Wan Khairuzzaman Wan Ismail, 2018. "Entrepreneurial ecosystems: a systematic review," Journal of Enterprising Communities: People and Places in the Global Economy, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 12(4), pages 545-564, July.
    34. Pierre-Alexandre Balland & Ron Boschma & Joan Crespo & David L. Rigby, 2019. "Smart specialization policy in the European Union: relatedness, knowledge complexity and regional diversification," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 53(9), pages 1252-1268, September.
    35. Nachiket Bhawe & Shaker A. Zahra, 2019. "Inducing heterogeneity in local entrepreneurial ecosystems: the role of MNEs," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 52(2), pages 437-454, February.
    36. Claudia Capozza & Sergio Salomone & Ernesto Somma, 2018. "Local industrial structure, agglomeration economies and the creation of innovative start-ups: evidence from the Italian case," Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 30(7-8), pages 749-775, August.
    37. Pahnke, André & Welter, Friederike, 2019. "The German Mittelstand: Antithesis to the Silicon Valley entrepreneurship model?," Working Papers 01/19, Institut für Mittelstandsforschung (IfM) Bonn.
    38. Zhe Cao & Xianwei Shi, 2021. "A systematic literature review of entrepreneurial ecosystems in advanced and emerging economies," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 57(1), pages 75-110, June.
    39. Ben Spigel & Tara Vinodrai, 2021. "Meeting its Waterloo? Recycling in entrepreneurial ecosystems after anchor firm collapse," Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 33(7-8), pages 599-620, August.
    40. Israel Kirzner, 2009. "The alert and creative entrepreneur: a clarification," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 32(2), pages 145-152, February.
    41. Colin Mason & Richard Harrison, 2006. "After the exit: Acquisitions, entrepreneurial recycling and regional economic development," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 40(1), pages 55-73.
    42. Per Davidsson & Johan Wiklund, 2001. "Levels of Analysis in Entrepreneurship Research: Current Research Practice and Suggestions for the Future," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 25(4), pages 81-100, July.
    43. Autio, Erkko & Kenney, Martin & Mustar, Philippe & Siegel, Don & Wright, Mike, 2014. "Entrepreneurial innovation: The importance of context," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 43(7), pages 1097-1108.
    44. Ben Spigel & Fumi Kitagawa & Colin Mason, 2020. "A manifesto for researching entrepreneurial ecosystems," Local Economy, London South Bank University, vol. 35(5), pages 482-495, August.
    45. Geels, Frank W., 2010. "Ontologies, socio-technical transitions (to sustainability), and the multi-level perspective," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(4), pages 495-510, May.
    46. Ioannis Sitaridis & Fotis Kitsios, 2020. "Competitiveness analysis and evaluation of entrepreneurial ecosystems: a multi-criteria approach," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 294(1), pages 377-399, November.
    47. Christos Pitelis, 2012. "Clusters, entrepreneurial ecosystem co-creation, and appropriability: a conceptual framework," Industrial and Corporate Change, Oxford University Press and the Associazione ICC, vol. 21(6), pages 1359-1388, December.
    48. Ron Adner & Rahul Kapoor, 2010. "Value creation in innovation ecosystems: how the structure of technological interdependence affects firm performance in new technology generations," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(3), pages 306-333, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. Theodoraki, Christina & Dana, Léo-Paul & Caputo, Andrea, 2022. "Building sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystems: A holistic approach," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 140(C), pages 346-360.
    2. Bernd Wurth & Erik Stam & Ben Spigel, 2022. "Toward an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Research Program," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 46(3), pages 729-778, May.
    3. Daniel Sunghwan Cho & Paul Ryan & Giulio Buciuni, 2022. "Evolutionary entrepreneurial ecosystems: a research pathway," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 58(4), pages 1865-1883, April.
    4. Maksim Belitski & Ana-Maria Grigore & Anca Bratu, 2021. "Political entrepreneurship: entrepreneurship ecosystem perspective," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 17(4), pages 1973-2004, December.
    5. Quoc Hoang Thai & Khuong Ngoc Mai & Tung Thanh Do, 2023. "An Evolution of Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Studies: A Systematic Literature Review and Future Research Agenda," SAGE Open, , vol. 13(1), pages 21582440231, March.
    6. David Bruce Audretsch & Maksim Belitski & Georg Maximilian Eichler & Erich Schwarz, 2024. "Entrepreneurial ecosystems, institutional quality, and the unexpected role of the sustainability orientation of entrepreneurs," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 62(2), pages 503-522, February.
    7. Chaudhary, Sanjay & Kaur, Puneet & Ferraris, Alberto & Bresciani, Stefano & Dhir, Amandeep, 2024. "Connecting entrepreneurial ecosystem and innovation. Grasping at straws or hitting a home run?," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 130(C).
    8. Shi, Xianwei & Liang, Xingkun & Luo, Yining, 2023. "Unpacking the intellectual structure of ecosystem research in innovation studies," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 52(6).
    9. Bessagnet, Arnauld & Crespo, Joan & Vicente, Jérôme, 2021. "Unraveling the multi-scalar and evolutionary forces of entrepreneurial ecosystems: A historical event analysis applied to IoT Valley," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 108(C).
    10. Angelo Cavallo & Antonio Ghezzi & Raffaello Balocco, 2019. "Entrepreneurial ecosystem research: present debates and future directions," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 15(4), pages 1291-1321, December.
    11. Robertson, Jeandri & Pitt, Leyland & Ferreira, Caitlin, 2020. "Entrepreneurial ecosystems and the public sector: A bibliographic analysis," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).
    12. Shi, Xianwei & Shi, Yongjiang, 2022. "Unpacking the process of resource allocation within an entrepreneurial ecosystem," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(9).
    13. Ana-Maria Grigore & Irina-Maria Dragan, 2020. "Towards Sustainable Entrepreneurial Ecosystems in a Transitional Economy: An Analysis of Two Romanian City-Regions through the Lens of Entrepreneurs," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(15), pages 1-21, July.
    14. Fahimeh Khatami & Veronica Scuotto & Norris Krueger & Valter Cantino, 2022. "The influence of the entrepreneurial ecosystem model on sustainable innovation from a macro-level lens," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 18(4), pages 1419-1451, December.
    15. Abootorabi, Hooman & Wiklund, Johan & Johnson, Alan R. & Miller, Cameron D., 2021. "A holistic approach to the evolution of an entrepreneurial ecosystem: An exploratory study of academic spin-offs," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 36(5).
    16. Pankov, Susanne & Schneckenberg, Dirk & Velamuri, Vivek K., 2021. "Advocating sustainability in entrepreneurial ecosystems: Micro-level practices of sharing ventures," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 166(C).
    17. Uwe Cantner & James A. Cunningham & Erik E. Lehmann & Matthias Menter, 2021. "Entrepreneurial ecosystems: a dynamic lifecycle model," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 57(1), pages 407-423, June.
    18. Zhe Cao & Xianwei Shi, 2021. "A systematic literature review of entrepreneurial ecosystems in advanced and emerging economies," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 57(1), pages 75-110, June.
    19. Han, Jin & Ruan, Yi & Wang, Yanmin & Zhou, Haibo, 2021. "Toward a complex adaptive system: The case of the Zhongguancun entrepreneurship ecosystem," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 128(C), pages 537-550.
    20. Christina Theodoraki & Alexis Catanzaro, 2022. "Widening the borders of entrepreneurial ecosystem through the international lens," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 47(2), pages 383-406, April.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Entrepreneurial ecosystem; Regional entrepreneurial ecosystem; Theory building; Socioeconomic; Realist ontology; Analogy; Metaphor;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • L16 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Industrial Organization and Macroeconomics; Macroeconomic Industrial Structure
    • L21 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Business Objectives of the Firm
    • L26 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Entrepreneurship
    • M13 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Business Administration - - - New Firms; Startups

    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:kap:sbusec:v:60:y:2023:i:3:d:10.1007_s11187-022-00623-8. 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: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    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.