We dreamed a dream that entrepreneurial ecosystems can promote sustainability

Abstract

Purpose

Research into the relationship between entrepreneurial ecosystems and sustainability has deepened in terms of both quantity and quality even while still remaining a fragmented and divergent field. Hence, the purpose of this study is to put forward empirical evidence to advance the literature on the relationship between entrepreneurial ecosystems and sustainability. To this end, the authors furthermore identify and highlight a future research agenda.

Design/methodology/approach

The source of the empirical analysis in this article stems from the Community Innovation Survey, the leading statistical inquiry of innovation in companies carried out by Eurostat based upon the conceptual framework set out in the Oslo Manual. For modelling the variables, the authors applied binary regression based on logistic distribution.

Findings

The results of the research demonstrated how all of the variables considered for entrepreneurial ecosystems (co-operation with suppliers, co-operation with clients or customers, co-operation with universities; co-operation with government, public or private research institutes) return positive impacts on national sustainability

Research limitations/implications

Despite the data spanning only the nine countries in the database, the results enable insights into the theory as the results serve to strengthen already existing considerations on the positive effects of entrepreneurial ecosystems for the sustainability of countries.

Practical implications

The results of the research may generate important implications for company policy formulation. The identification of the relevance of the different actors in entrepreneurial ecosystems and their impact on sustainability may assist firms and policymakers to identify the leading actors and the resources necessary to sustaining their activities and thereby correspondingly establishing their priorities.

Originality/value

The research (1) both deepens the prevailing knowledge on this theme and fills a gap encountered in the existing literature; (2) in practical terms, for managers, entrepreneurs and politicians to better grasp how entrepreneurship constitutes a systemic phenomenon and these systems require approaching in terms of their impacts and greater contributions to obtaining sustainability.

Citation

Raposo, M., Fernandes, C.I. and Veiga, P.M. (2022), "We dreamed a dream that entrepreneurial ecosystems can promote sustainability", Management of Environmental Quality, Vol. 33 No. 1, pp. 86-102. https://doi.org/10.1108/MEQ-01-2021-0010