IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/growch/v52y2021i4p2256-2271.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The value of entrepreneurship and the entrepreneurial ecosystem: Evidence from 265 cities in China

Author

Listed:
  • Junping Yang
  • Mengjie Zhang

Abstract

Entrepreneurship scholars consider the benefits of entrepreneurial activities to include regional innovation, employment, and growth. In recent years, the entrepreneurship literature has begun to focus on entrepreneurial contexts, especially the entrepreneurial ecosystem, which may exist at different levels, such as cities and countries. This study analyzes whether the entrepreneurial ecosystem promotes regional development and if so, how. Using fuzzy‐set qualitative comparative analysis, we employ the most recent available full data, for 2018, to conduct research on 265 urban entrepreneurial ecosystems in China and reveal the conditions that can stimulate regional entrepreneurship and development. Overall, our results indicate that the entrepreneurial ecosystem can well explain employment and innovation in the region, while there is only one configuration to promote economic growth, which emphasizes the impacts of formal institutions and finance. Our research explains how the elements within the entrepreneurial ecosystem interact to promote regional short‐term and long‐term development. The results have rich implications for policies on entrepreneurship and urban planning as well as practice.

Suggested Citation

  • Junping Yang & Mengjie Zhang, 2021. "The value of entrepreneurship and the entrepreneurial ecosystem: Evidence from 265 cities in China," Growth and Change, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 52(4), pages 2256-2271, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:growch:v:52:y:2021:i:4:p:2256-2271
    DOI: 10.1111/grow.12543
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/grow.12543
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/grow.12543?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. C. Praag & Peter Versloot, 2007. "What is the value of entrepreneurship? A review of recent research," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 29(4), pages 351-382, December.
    2. Baumol, William J., 1996. "Entrepreneurship: Productive, unproductive, and destructive," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 11(1), pages 3-22, January.
    3. Del Sarto, Nicola & Isabelle, Diane A. & Di Minin, Alberto, 2020. "The role of accelerators in firm survival: An fsQCA analysis of Italian startups," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 90.
    4. Haoqiang Li & Jihong Chen & Zheng Wan & Huaxin Zhang & Maoxin Wang & Yun Bai, 2020. "Spatial evaluation of knowledge spillover benefits in China’s free trade zone provinces and cities," Growth and Change, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 51(3), pages 1158-1181, September.
    5. Salvatore Corrente & Salvatore Greco & Melita Nicotra & Marco Romano & Carmela Elita Schillaci, 2019. "Evaluating and comparing entrepreneurial ecosystems using SMAA and SMAA-S," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 44(2), pages 485-519, April.
    6. Van De Ven, H., 1993. "The development of an infrastructure for entrepreneurship," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 8(3), pages 211-230, May.
    7. Roundy, Philip T. & Bradshaw, Mike & Brockman, Beverly K., 2018. "The emergence of entrepreneurial ecosystems: A complex adaptive systems approach," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 1-10.
    8. Estrin, Saul & Mickiewicz, Tomasz & Stephan, Ute, 2016. "Human capital in social and commercial entrepreneurship," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 31(4), pages 449-467.
    9. Ben Spigel, 2017. "The Relational Organization of Entrepreneurial Ecosystems," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 41(1), pages 49-72, January.
    10. Erik Stam & Andrew Ven, 2021. "Entrepreneurial ecosystem elements," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 56(2), pages 809-832, February.
    11. Kathrin Bischoff, 2021. "A study on the perceived strength of sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystems on the dimensions of stakeholder theory and culture," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 56(3), pages 1121-1140, February.
    12. Siddharth Vedula & Markus Fitza, 2019. "Regional Recipes: A Configurational Analysis of the Regional Entrepreneurial Ecosystem for U.S. Venture Capital-Backed Startups," Strategy Science, INFORMS, vol. 4(1), pages 4-24, March.
    13. Kyle C. Longest & Stephen Vaisey, 2008. "fuzzy: A program for performing qualitative comparative analyses (QCA) in Stata," Stata Journal, StataCorp LP, vol. 8(1), pages 79-104, February.
    14. Melita Nicotra & Marco Romano & Manlio Giudice & Carmela Elita Schillaci, 2018. "The causal relation between entrepreneurial ecosystem and productive entrepreneurship: a measurement framework," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 43(3), pages 640-673, June.
    15. Ragin, Charles C., 2006. "Set Relations in Social Research: Evaluating Their Consistency and Coverage," Political Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 14(3), pages 291-310, July.
    16. Siddharth Vedula & Phillip H Kim, 2019. "Gimme shelter or fade away: the impact of regional entrepreneurial ecosystem quality on venture survival," Industrial and Corporate Change, Oxford University Press and the Associazione ICC, vol. 28(4), pages 827-854.
    17. Matthias Mrożewski & Jan Kratzer, 2017. "Entrepreneurship and country-level innovation: investigating the role of entrepreneurial opportunities," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 42(5), pages 1125-1142, October.
    18. Diana M. Hechavarría & Amy E. Ingram, 2019. "Entrepreneurial ecosystem conditions and gendered national-level entrepreneurial activity: a 14-year panel study of GEM," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 53(2), pages 431-458, August.
    19. Dezhong Duan & Debin Du & Seamus Grimes, 2019. "The faster the better? Economic effects of the speed of inter‐city technology transfer in China," Growth and Change, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 50(3), pages 1085-1101, September.
    20. David B. Audretsch & Maksim Belitski, 2017. "Entrepreneurial ecosystems in cities: establishing the framework conditions," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 42(5), pages 1030-1051, October.
    21. Víctor Torres-Preciado & Mayrén Polanco-Gaytán & Miguel Tinoco-Zermeño, 2014. "Technological innovation and regional economic growth in Mexico: a spatial perspective," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 52(1), pages 183-200, January.
    22. Xuebo Zhang & Cansong Li & Wei Li & Jinping Song & Chengfeng Yang, 2017. "Do Administrative Boundaries Matter for Uneven Economic Development? A Case Study of China's Provincial Border Counties," Growth and Change, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 48(4), pages 883-908, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Yang, Junping & Zhang, Mengjie & Ballester-Miquel, José Carlos & Ribeiro-Navarrete, Samuel, 2022. "Exploring what drives entrepreneurs: Intergenerational differences between entrepreneurs born in the 1980s and 1990s," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 183(C).
    2. Hongqi Wang & Tianyi Zhao & Sarah Y. Cooper & Shanshan Wang & Richard T. Harrison & Zhongji Yang, 2023. "Effective policy mixes in entrepreneurial ecosystems: a configurational analysis in China," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 60(4), pages 1509-1542, April.
    3. McDaniel, Michael & Ge, Jianhua & Yuan, Wenhao, 2022. "Social impacts of entrepreneurship: Does entrepreneurial ecosystem support reduce homicide?," Journal of Business Venturing Insights, Elsevier, vol. 17(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Bernd Wurth & Erik Stam & Ben Spigel, 2022. "Toward an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Research Program," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 46(3), pages 729-778, May.
    2. Quoc Hoang Thai & Khuong Ngoc Mai & Tung Thanh Do, 2023. "An Evolution of Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Studies: A Systematic Literature Review and Future Research Agenda," SAGE Open, , vol. 13(1), pages 21582440231, March.
    3. André Cherubini Alves & Bruno Brandão Fischer & Nicholas S. Vonortas, 2021. "Ecosystems of entrepreneurship: configurations and critical dimensions," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 67(1), pages 73-106, August.
    4. Dionisio, Eduardo Avancci & Inácio Júnior, Edmundo & Fischer, Bruno Brandão, 2021. "Country-level efficiency and the index of dynamic entrepreneurship: Contributions from an efficiency approach," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 162(C).
    5. Daniel Sunghwan Cho & Paul Ryan & Giulio Buciuni, 2022. "Evolutionary entrepreneurial ecosystems: a research pathway," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 58(4), pages 1865-1883, April.
    6. Theodoraki, Christina & Dana, Léo-Paul & Caputo, Andrea, 2022. "Building sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystems: A holistic approach," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 140(C), pages 346-360.
    7. Reis, Germano Glufke & Villar, Eduardo Guedes & Prado Gimenez, Fernando Antonio & Maiolino Molento, Carla Forte & Ferri, Priscila, 2022. "The interplay of entrepreneurial ecosystems and global value chains: Insights from the cultivated meat entrepreneurial ecosystem of Singapore," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    8. Leendertse, Jip & Schrijvers, Mirella & Stam, Erik, 2022. "Measure Twice, Cut Once: Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Metrics," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(9).
    9. Fischer, Bruno & Meissner, Dirk & Vonortas, Nicholas & Guerrero, Maribel, 2022. "Spatial features of entrepreneurial ecosystems," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 147(C), pages 27-36.
    10. Shi, Xianwei & Shi, Yongjiang, 2022. "Unpacking the process of resource allocation within an entrepreneurial ecosystem," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(9).
    11. Bessagnet, Arnauld & Crespo, Joan & Vicente, Jérôme, 2021. "Unraveling the multi-scalar and evolutionary forces of entrepreneurial ecosystems: A historical event analysis applied to IoT Valley," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 108(C).
    12. Jianhong Zhang & Désirée Gorp & Henk Kievit, 2023. "Digital technology and national entrepreneurship: An ecosystem perspective," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 48(3), pages 1077-1105, June.
    13. Abootorabi, Hooman & Wiklund, Johan & Johnson, Alan R. & Miller, Cameron D., 2021. "A holistic approach to the evolution of an entrepreneurial ecosystem: An exploratory study of academic spin-offs," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 36(5).
    14. McDaniel, Michael & Ge, Jianhua & Yuan, Wenhao, 2022. "Social impacts of entrepreneurship: Does entrepreneurial ecosystem support reduce homicide?," Journal of Business Venturing Insights, Elsevier, vol. 17(C).
    15. Muhammad Faraz Riaz & João Leitão & Uwe Cantner, 2022. "Measuring the efficiency of an entrepreneurial ecosystem at municipality level: does institutional transparency play a moderating role?," Eurasian Business Review, Springer;Eurasia Business and Economics Society, vol. 12(1), pages 151-176, March.
    16. Xie, Zhimin & Wang, Xia & Xie, Lingmin & Duan, Kaifeng, 2021. "Entrepreneurial ecosystem and the quality and quantity of regional entrepreneurship: A configurational approach," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 128(C), pages 499-509.
    17. Zhao, Xin & Xu, Yong & Vasa, László & Shahzad, Umer, 2023. "Entrepreneurial ecosystem and urban innovation: Contextual findings in the lens of sustainable development from China," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 191(C).
    18. Christina Theodoraki & Alexis Catanzaro, 2022. "Widening the borders of entrepreneurial ecosystem through the international lens," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 47(2), pages 383-406, April.
    19. Rocha, Augusto & Brown, Ross & Mawson, Suzanne, 2021. "Capturing conversations in entrepreneurial ecosystems," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 50(9).
    20. Philip T. Roundy, 2019. "“It takes a village” to support entrepreneurship: intersecting economic and community dynamics in small town entrepreneurial ecosystems," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 15(4), pages 1443-1475, December.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:growch:v:52:y:2021:i:4:p:2256-2271. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=0017-4815 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.