An Integrative Literature Review of Entrepreneurial Ecosystems

Abstract

The interest in entrepreneurship research has shifted from the characteristics of individual entrepreneurs to the context surrounding them In recent years, the concept of entrepreneurial ecosystems (EE) has emerged as a central topic in aspects of research, policy, and practice.. However, it has been pointed out that the concept of EE lacks a theoretical foundation. It is also emphasized that there are some cases in which the concept of EE is not adequately used in empirical studies. In this paper, I present an integrative literature review on the concept of EE from a theoretical perspective. Based on the review, the theoretical description and boundary conditions of the EE are extracted and integrated according to the requirements of the theory. This review critically examines EE and provides guidelines for future research on EE.