Entrepreneurship, Knowledge-Economy and Economic Success of Cities: A Scoping Review and Thematic Analysis

The existing literature on the interplay between entrepreneurship, knowledge-based economy and urban economic prosperity has often portrayed a predictable relationship between entrepreneurship and economic growth, yet the arguments are mainly broad-brush. It appears that most studies fail to pay adequate attention to the dynamic forces of positive externalities and mechanisms through which they affect the sources of economic growth in cities. This paper adopts a scoping review approach to determine the scope, coverage, knowledge gap and context of the existing literature on the topic. The paper further uses thematic analysis to identify, analyse and report the patterns in the reviewed literature. The paper finds that the literature relating to the entrepreneurship–growth nexus determinants is sporadic and less structured. The paper concludes that the multidimensionality of this complicated relationship requires a more systematic understanding of the dynamic interaction between factors such as innovation, urbanisation and technology. Additionally, this scoping review finds that while migration and industry clusters are growing phenomena in both developed and developing countries, their effects on entrepreneurial activities and growth have yet to receive sufficient attention. Finally, the paper finds a paucity of comparative studies on the multi-level interactions of entrepreneurial activities at the industry–city–country level.