From Concept to Measurement: The 12 Pillars and their Measurement

While ecosystem theories and concepts have a relatively long history with both entrepreneurial ecosystems (Acs et al., 2017) and digital ecosystems (Li et al., 2012; Weill & Woerner, 2015), the digital entrepreneurship ecosystem and a platform-based economy concepts have emerged only recently (Elia et al., 2020; Nambisan, 2017; Sahut et al., 2019). Moreover, measurements are lagging behind conceptual developments. Some argue that all ecosystems are exclusive, as each has its unique component structure, strengths, and weaknesses. Consequently, case studies are more appropriate than simple or composite indicators to describe the ecosystem phenomenon (Isenberg, 2010; Spigel, 2017). While we agree that the specifics of each ecosystem can be viewed up close, when looking from a certain distance, one can recognize the common structures and features (Szerb et al., 2019). Accurate measurements are vital for three reasons. First, solid policy recommendations should be based on appropriate measures. Second, one can recognize the relative development of a particular unit by comparing it to other units’ rankings and index scores. And third, an ecosystem’s strengths and weaknesses can be identified from a benchmarking perspective.