Entrepreneurial Ecosystems Meet Innovation Systems: Synergies, Policy Lessons and Overlooked Dimensions brings together two influential frameworks that have shaped contemporary thinking on innovation, entrepreneurship and regional development. Edited by Aleksandra Tsvetkova, Johannes Schmutzler and Richard Pugh, the volume explores how the concepts of entrepreneurial ecosystems and innovation systems complement one another and how their integration can support more effective research and policymaking.
The book argues that although both approaches seek to explain how innovation and entrepreneurship emerge, they have often evolved independently. Innovation systems research has traditionally focused on institutions, knowledge creation and interactions among organisations, while entrepreneurial ecosystem research has emphasised entrepreneurs, networks, finance, culture and local business environments. By examining the intersections between these perspectives, the contributors propose a more comprehensive understanding of the conditions that enable innovation-driven development.
Through conceptual discussions and empirical studies from both advanced and emerging economies, the volume illustrates how entrepreneurial activity depends on the quality of institutions, access to knowledge, collaborative networks and supportive policy environments. It demonstrates that entrepreneurship is not simply the result of individual initiative but is shaped by broader ecosystems that connect universities, firms, governments, investors, intermediaries and civil society organisations.
A central contribution of the book is its emphasis on overlooked dimensions of entrepreneurial ecosystems. The chapters examine issues such as inclusiveness, institutional diversity, regional inequalities, governance, sustainability and the role of public policy in supporting entrepreneurial activity. Rather than promoting universal models of ecosystem development, the contributors highlight the importance of recognising local contexts and adapting policy approaches to different economic, institutional and cultural environments.
The volume also provides valuable lessons for policymakers seeking to strengthen innovation and entrepreneurship simultaneously. It argues that effective policies should encourage collaboration across multiple actors, facilitate knowledge exchange, improve access to finance and skills, and create institutional conditions that support experimentation and long-term capability building. Integrating entrepreneurial ecosystem thinking with innovation systems perspectives enables a more holistic approach to regional and national development strategies.
Particular attention is given to emerging and developing economies, where entrepreneurship often plays a critical role in economic diversification, employment generation and technological upgrading. The contributors show that understanding the interaction between entrepreneurial ecosystems and innovation systems can help explain differences in regional performance and identify new opportunities for inclusive and sustainable development.
Combining theoretical innovation with practical policy insights, Entrepreneurial Ecosystems Meet Innovation Systems makes an important contribution to the evolving literature on entrepreneurship and innovation. It offers researchers, policymakers and development practitioners a richer framework for understanding how entrepreneurial activity and innovation systems reinforce one another to create resilient, knowledge-based and inclusive economies.
