IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/kap/sbusec/v63y2024i1d10.1007_s11187-023-00833-8.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Revisiting the knowledge spillover paradox: the impact of infrastructure

Author

Listed:
  • Ronja Kirschning

    (Jean-Baptiste Say Institute)

  • Matthias Mrożewski

    (Jean-Baptiste Say Institute)

Abstract

Knowledge is regarded as a key driver of entrepreneurial activity and economic performance. Nevertheless, empirical evidence suggests that the extent to which knowledge spills over and translates into entrepreneurial activity differs tremendously across different regions. These inconsistent results expose the knowledge spillover mechanism as a concept that is not well understood. This paper is one of the few studies to propose an explanation for the seemingly inconclusive results that we find in the literature by considering the role of infrastructure in knowledge spillovers. Using a dataset of 67 countries, we examine the impact of different types of physical and digital infrastructure on the knowledge spillover mechanism. Our empirical results reveal that the extent to which knowledge translates into entrepreneurial activity largely depends upon the development of specific types of digital and physical infrastructure. This paper provides valuable insights into the knowledge spillover mechanism by identifying certain factors that influence the extent to which knowledge translates into entrepreneurial activity. Furthermore, it has important policy implications for countries to promote entrepreneurial activity and economic performance by developing certain types of physical and digital infrastructure.

Suggested Citation

  • Ronja Kirschning & Matthias Mrożewski, 2024. "Revisiting the knowledge spillover paradox: the impact of infrastructure," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 63(1), pages 1-20, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:sbusec:v:63:y:2024:i:1:d:10.1007_s11187-023-00833-8
    DOI: 10.1007/s11187-023-00833-8
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11187-023-00833-8
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s11187-023-00833-8?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. Bouncken, Ricarda B. & Aslam, Muhammad Mahmood & Gantert, Till Marius & Kallmuenzer, Andreas, 2023. "New work design for knowledge creation and sustainability: An empirical study of coworking-spaces," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 154(C).
    2. Ronja Kirschning & Matthias Mrożewski, 2023. "The role of entrepreneurial absorptive capacity for knowledge spillover entrepreneurship," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 60(1), pages 105-120, January.
    3. Sergey Anokhin & Joakim Wincent, 2012. "Start-up rates and innovation: A cross-country examination," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 43(1), pages 41-60, January.
    4. Maribel Guerrero & David Urbano, 2014. "Academics’ start-up intentions and knowledge filters: an individual perspective of the knowledge spillover theory of entrepreneurship," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 43(1), pages 57-74, June.
    5. Zoltán J. Ács & Pontus Braunerhjelm & David B. Audretsch & Bo Carlsson, 2015. "The knowledge spillover theory of entrepreneurship," Chapters, in: Global Entrepreneurship, Institutions and Incentives, chapter 7, pages 129-144, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    6. David B. Audretsch & Erik E. Lehmann & Nikolaus Seitz, 2021. "Amenities, subcultures, and entrepreneurship," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 56(2), pages 571-591, February.
    7. David B. Audretsch & Maksim Belitski & Julia Korosteleva, 2021. "Cultural diversity and knowledge in explaining entrepreneurship in European cities," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 56(2), pages 593-611, February.
    8. Melanie S. Brucks & Jonathan Levav, 2022. "Publisher Correction: Virtual communication curbs creative idea generation," Nature, Nature, vol. 606(7915), pages 17-17, June.
    9. Chandra, Amitabh & Thompson, Eric, 2000. "Does public infrastructure affect economic activity?: Evidence from the rural interstate highway system," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 30(4), pages 457-490, July.
    10. Dirk Clercq & Jolanda Hessels & André Stel, 2008. "Knowledge spillovers and new ventures’ export orientation," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 31(3), pages 283-303, October.
    11. Joern Block & Philipp Sandner & Frank Spiegel, 2015. "How Do Risk Attitudes Differ within the Group of Entrepreneurs? The Role of Motivation and Procedural Utility," Journal of Small Business Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 53(1), pages 183-206, January.
    12. Alexandra Tsvetkova & Mark Partridge, 2021. "Knowledge-based service economy and firm entry: an alternative to the knowledge spillover theory of entrepreneurship," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 56(2), pages 637-657, February.
    13. Philipp Koellinger, 2008. "Why are some entrepreneurs more innovative than others?," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 31(1), pages 21-37, June.
    14. Nune Hovhannisyan & Wolfgang Keller, 2015. "International business travel: an engine of innovation?," Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, vol. 20(1), pages 75-104, March.
    15. David B. Audretsch & Maksim Belitski, 2017. "Entrepreneurial ecosystems in cities: establishing the framework conditions," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 42(5), pages 1030-1051, October.
    16. Dave Valliere & Rein Peterson, 2009. "Entrepreneurship and economic growth: Evidence from emerging and developed countries," Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 21(5-6), pages 459-480, September.
    17. Audretsch, David B., 2009. "Entrepreneurship capital and economic growth," INVESTIGACIONES REGIONALES - Journal of REGIONAL RESEARCH, Asociación Española de Ciencia Regional, issue 15, pages 27-45.
    18. Rosa Caiazza & Maksim Belitski & David B. Audretsch, 2020. "From latent to emergent entrepreneurship: the knowledge spillover construction circle," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 45(3), pages 694-704, June.
    19. Niccolò Ghio & Massimiliano Guerini & Erik Lehmann & Cristina Rossi-Lamastra, 2015. "The emergence of the knowledge spillover theory of entrepreneurship," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 44(1), pages 1-18, January.
    20. Miriam Bruhn & Asli Demirguc-Kunt & Dorothe Singer, 2023. "Competition and firm recovery post-COVID-19," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 61(4), pages 1555-1586, December.
    21. David B. Audretsch & Erik E. Lehmann, 2022. "The knowledge spillover theory of entrepreneurship," Chapters, in: Cristiano Antonelli (ed.), Elgar Encyclopedia on the Economics of Knowledge and Innovation, chapter 39, pages 317-324, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    22. Haifeng Qian, 2017. "Skills and knowledge-based entrepreneurship: evidence from US cities," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 51(10), pages 1469-1482, October.
    23. Audretsch, David B. & Lehmann, Erik E., 2005. "Does the Knowledge Spillover Theory of Entrepreneurship hold for regions?," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 34(8), pages 1191-1202, October.
    24. Muhammad Naveed Iftikhar & Jonathan B. Justice & David B. Audretsch, 2022. "The knowledge spillover theory of entrepreneurship: an Asian perspective," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 59(4), pages 1401-1426, December.
    25. Bennett, Daniel L., 2019. "Infrastructure investments and entrepreneurial dynamism in the U.S," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 34(5), pages 1-1.
    26. David B. Audretsch, 1995. "Innovation and Industry Evolution," MIT Press Books, The MIT Press, edition 1, volume 1, number 0262011468, December.
    27. Christopher J. Boudreaux & Boris Nikolaev, 2019. "Capital is not enough: opportunity entrepreneurship and formal institutions," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 53(3), pages 709-738, October.
    28. Haifeng Qian & Zoltán J. Ács, 2015. "An absorptive capacity theory of knowledge spillover entrepreneurship," Chapters, in: Global Entrepreneurship, Institutions and Incentives, chapter 9, pages 161-173, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    29. Jennifer L. Woolley, 2014. "The Creation and Configuration of Infrastructure for Entrepreneurship in Emerging Domains of Activity," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 38(4), pages 721-747, July.
    30. Friederike Welter & Ted Baker & Katharine Wirsching, 2019. "Three waves and counting: the rising tide of contextualization in entrepreneurship research," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 52(2), pages 319-330, February.
    31. Melanie S. Brucks & Jonathan Levav, 2022. "Virtual communication curbs creative idea generation," Nature, Nature, vol. 605(7908), pages 108-112, May.
    32. Farzana Chowdhury & David B. Audretsch & Maksim Belitski, 2019. "Institutions and Entrepreneurship Quality," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 43(1), pages 51-81, January.
    33. Belitski, Maksim & Korosteleva, Julia & Piscitello, Lucia, 2023. "Digital affordances and entrepreneurial dynamics: New evidence from European regions," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 119(C).
    34. Audretsch, David B. & Keilbach, Max, 2008. "Resolving the knowledge paradox: Knowledge-spillover entrepreneurship and economic growth," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(10), pages 1697-1705, December.
    35. Maryann Feldman, 2014. "The character of innovative places: entrepreneurial strategy, economic development, and prosperity," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 43(1), pages 9-20, June.
    36. Matthias Mrożewski & Jan Kratzer, 2017. "Entrepreneurship and country-level innovation: investigating the role of entrepreneurial opportunities," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 42(5), pages 1125-1142, October.
    37. Maksim Belitski & Sameeksha Desai, 2016. "What drives ICT clustering in European cities?," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 41(3), pages 430-450, June.
    38. José L. González-Pernía & Andrés Jung & Iñaki Peña, 2015. "Innovation-driven entrepreneurship in developing economies," Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 27(9-10), pages 555-573, October.
    39. Frederik von Briel & Per Davidsson & Jan Recker, 2018. "Digital Technologies as External Enablers of New Venture Creation in the IT Hardware Sector," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 42(1), pages 47-69, January.
    40. David Audretsch & Diana Heger & Tobias Veith, 2015. "Infrastructure and entrepreneurship," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 44(2), pages 219-230, February.
    41. Zoltan Acs & David Audretsch & Pontus Braunerhjelm & Bo Carlsson, 2012. "Growth and entrepreneurship," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 39(2), pages 289-300, September.
    42. Audretsch, David B. & Bönte, Werner & Keilbach, Max, 2008. "Entrepreneurship capital and its impact on knowledge diffusion and economic performance," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 23(6), pages 687-698, November.
    43. David Audretsch & Maksim Belitski, 2013. "The missing pillar: the creativity theory of knowledge spillover entrepreneurship," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 41(4), pages 819-836, December.
    44. Davidsson, Per, 2015. "Entrepreneurial opportunities and the entrepreneurship nexus: A re-conceptualization," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 30(5), pages 674-695.
    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. Sönke Mestwerdt & Matthias Mrożewski & Christoph Seckler, 2025. "An institutional perspective on fear of failure and its effects across three entrepreneurship stages," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 21(1), pages 1-25, December.

    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. Ronja Kirschning & Matthias Mrożewski, 2023. "The role of entrepreneurial absorptive capacity for knowledge spillover entrepreneurship," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 60(1), pages 105-120, January.
    2. Alessandra Colombelli & Emilio Paolucci & Elisabetta Raguseo & Gianluca Elia, 2024. "The creation of digital innovative start-ups: the role of digital knowledge spillovers and digital skill endowment," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 62(3), pages 917-937, March.
    3. Lattacher, Wolfgang & Gregori, Patrick & Holzmann, Patrick & Schwarz, Erich J., 2021. "Knowledge spillover in entrepreneurial emergence: A learning perspective," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 166(C).
    4. Silveli Cristo-Andrade & João J. Ferreira, 2020. "Knowledge spillovers and strategic entrepreneurship: what researches and approaches?," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 16(1), pages 263-286, March.
    5. Ferreira, João J.M. & Fernandes, Cristina I. & Veiga, Pedro Mota, 2024. "The effects of knowledge spillovers, digital capabilities, and innovation on firm performance: A moderated mediation model," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 200(C).
    6. Maksim Belitski & Rosa Caiazza & Erik E. Lehmann, 2021. "Knowledge frontiers and boundaries in entrepreneurship research," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 56(2), pages 521-531, February.
    7. Niccolò Ghio & Massimiliano Guerini & Erik Lehmann & Cristina Rossi-Lamastra, 2015. "The emergence of the knowledge spillover theory of entrepreneurship," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 44(1), pages 1-18, January.
    8. Daniel Feser & Till Proeger, 2017. "Asymmetric information as a barrier to knowledge spillovers in expert markets," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 13(1), pages 211-232, March.
    9. Haifeng Qian, 2018. "Knowledge-Based Regional Economic Development: A Synthetic Review of Knowledge Spillovers, Entrepreneurship, and Entrepreneurial Ecosystems," Economic Development Quarterly, , vol. 32(2), pages 163-176, May.
    10. Guo-Hua Cao & Jing Zhang, 2021. "Is a sustainable loop of economy and entrepreneurial ecosystem possible? a structural perspective," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 23(5), pages 7002-7040, May.
    11. David Urbano & David Audretsch & Sebastian Aparicio & Maria Noguera, 2020. "Does entrepreneurial activity matter for economic growth in developing countries? The role of the institutional environment," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 16(3), pages 1065-1099, September.
    12. Feser, Daniel & Proeger, Till, 2015. "Asymmetric information as a barrier to knowledge spillovers in expert markets," University of Göttingen Working Papers in Economics 259, University of Goettingen, Department of Economics.
    13. Tsvetkova, Alexandra, 2016. "Do diversity, creativity and localized competition promote endogenous firm formation? Evidence from a high-tech US industry," MPRA Paper 72349, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    14. Carlo Corradini & Emma Folmer & Anna Rebmann, 2022. "Listening to the buzz: Exploring the link between firm creation and regional innovative atmosphere as reflected by social media," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 54(2), pages 347-369, March.
    15. Pontus Braunerhjelm & Ding Ding & Per Thulin, 2016. "Labour as a knowledge carrier: how increased mobility influences entrepreneurship," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 41(6), pages 1308-1326, December.
    16. David Audretsch & Rosa Caiazza, 2016. "Technology transfer and entrepreneurship: cross-national analysis," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 41(6), pages 1247-1259, December.
    17. José Luis Massón-Guerra & Pedro Ortín-Ángel, 2019. "Entrepreneurship capital spillovers at the local level," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 52(1), pages 175-191, January.
    18. Thomas Neumann, 2021. "The impact of entrepreneurship on economic, social and environmental welfare and its determinants: a systematic review," Management Review Quarterly, Springer, vol. 71(3), pages 553-584, July.
    19. Wenying Fu, 2020. "Spatial mobility and opportunity-driven entrepreneurship: the evidence from China labor-force dynamics survey," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 45(5), pages 1324-1342, October.
    20. Chen, Jean Jinghan & Cui, Chuantao & Hunt, Richard A. & Li, Leona Shao-Zhi, 2020. "External enablement of new venture creation: An exploratory, query-driven assessment of China's high-speed rail expansion," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 35(6).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Knowledge spillover theory of entrepreneurship; Digital infrastructure; Physical infrastructure; Country-level entrepreneurship;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • L26 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Entrepreneurship
    • O18 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Urban, Rural, Regional, and Transportation Analysis; Housing; Infrastructure
    • O43 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - Institutions and Growth

    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:63:y:2024:i:1:d:10.1007_s11187-023-00833-8. 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.