A Meta-Analysis of Entrepreneurial Ecosystems and their Effects on Entrepreneurial Activity

Abstract

This meta-analysis examines which ecosystem elements influence entrepreneurial activity on which spatial level. An extensive literature research was applied to identify quantitative studies covering entrepreneurial activity (544 studies; 2,589,134 observations), as well as information on the spatial level of analysis, type of entrepreneurship measured, variable sources, and publication metrics. To synthesize the findings, the variables are grouped according to Stam’s (2015) framework of entrepreneurial ecosystems. The results show that there are large differences between individual ecosystem elements in terms of their empirical relevance and that this varies greatly depending on the spatial level of investigation. On the micro-level (e.g., cities) leadership has the highest effect size, on the meso-level (e.g., federal states) it is formal institutions, and on the macro-level (countries) it is support services/ intermediaries. Differentiated by type of entrepreneurial activity, formal institutions influence high-growth and innovative entrepreneurship most, followed by culture, and demand. Our results remain robust after using different methods for variable grouping, applying meta-analysis regression analysis, and controlling for country and publication specifics as well as for grouping errors. Based on the findings, theoretical implications for entrepreneurial ecosystem theory and future research opportunities are discussed.