Formulating better enterprise policy in the periphery: A design science approach

This paper addresses the persistent misalignment between enterprise policy design and the contextual realities of peripheral regions. While entrepreneurship scholarship increasingly recognizes the importance of spatial, social, and institutional context, enterprise policy remains dominated by urban-centric, high-growth models that neglect the specificities of peripheral areas. Drawing on design science, we reconceptualize policy development as a design challenge rather than a knowledge gap. We introduce REFLECT, a policy formulation artifact that enhances reflexivity and dialogue in enterprise policymaking. The artifact raises awareness and stimulates dialogue within and across policy communities, enabling policy agents to better understand and navigate the structural uncertainties faced by meso-level actors who mediate between national directives and local entrepreneurial realities. Using RE-AIM, we evaluate REFLECT's utility as both a technological tool and a boundary object that supports adaptive, place-sensitive policy design. The artifact provides a blueprint for action in enterprise policy design, supporting policymakers who seek to improve the formulation and delivery of enterprise support in often-overlooked peripheral contexts. It also improves our theoretical understanding of enterprise policymaking and advances the use of design science as a method in entrepreneurship and innovation research.