Abstract
ABSTRACTThe interplays of different types of proximities are crucial to the emergence of new industries, including entrepreneurial ecosystems as pillar of the competitive advantage in regions. Though proximities can be advantageous, negative aspects on the economic development have also been discussed, leading to the discussion of the so-called proximity paradox. To better understand the effective functioning of these proximities, it must be concretized which institutional actors play a role, and how their collaboration and thus their proximity constellations contribute to the regional development. Based on empirical evidence of Malta, this paper operationalizes the different proximities types and conceptually investigates the different proximities between institutional actors in building a new regional industry, i.e. the gaming industry. The case of the Maltese gaming industry illustrates how regions with limited size and resource-scarcity, thus high proximities between actors (also prevalent in city-states and peripheral regions), can still defy the odds of the liability of smallness and, thus the proximity paradox. Results of this in-depth study shows how collaborative endeavour of proximate institutional actors can contribute to developing an effective entrepreneurial environment and the emergence of a new regional industry.
Highlights
Small is beautiful and greatly appreciated. (...) We managed to turn our weakest, our liability, to our strongest asset
By examining the role played by types of proximities in the collaboration of institutional actors, this study provides insights into the conditions for the development of a supportive EE for entrepreneurs located in the small-island state
This paper presents novel empirical evidence on the importance of the different proximity types to the collaboration of institutional actors in a small island context, and on their influence on the establishment of a new EE
Summary
Small is beautiful and greatly appreciated. (...) We managed to turn our weakest, our liability, to our strongest asset. Where different industry-specific actors are attempting to foster new mindsets for innovation and entrepreneurship (e.g. MCA, Malta Innovation Hub, TakeOff Incubator), their efforts are negatively affected by the lack of proximity at the organisational level as expressed below: My relationship here with these guys [at same hierarchical level] is very good.
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