Ecology, Complex Systems, and Sociology

Abstract

Abstract This chapter aims to provide researchers and policymakers with a pragmatic understanding of three different approaches to entrepreneurial ecosystem (EE) research. In particular, we aim to inform theoretical framework selection for researchers and policymakers who share an interest in the cultivation, enrichment, and evolution of entrepreneurial ecosystems. To do so, we illuminate three perspectives of entrepreneurial ecosystems and provide guidance on the theoretical frameworks and methods in their research application. Each of the three frameworks encapsulates a particular ecosystem epistemology (biological ecologies, complex adaptive systems, and community capitals). These frameworks converge regarding their emphasis on diversity among ecosystem elements and their inter-relationships, and situatedness within multilevel contexts. A methodological commonality here is the use of qualitative grassroots approaches to assessing entrepreneurial ecosystems. To illustrate the similarities and differences in frameworks and their associated epistemologies and methods, we discuss how these vary in research application. Selecting a framework has implications for research methods and thus also what types of insights can be gained, such as on how EEs can be designed, shaped, or governed.