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Power Plays: Surfacing the Hidden Currents in Entrepreneurial Ecosystems

Author

Listed:
  • Judith Terstriep
  • Alexandra David
  • Lukas Zaghow
  • Natalia Vershinina

    (Audencia Business School)

  • Jörg Freiling

Abstract

Entrepreneurial ecosystem (EE) research has flourished, yet it continues to overlook how power shapes who can mobilise resources, legitimacy, and opportunity within these systems. This paper reframes power as a constitutive, and not incidental, dimension of ecosystem functioning. Integrating insights from Pfeffer's resource-dependence theory with Foucault's and Bourdieu's social perspectives, we develop a Power-Sensitive Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Framework (PSEEF) that conceptualises power across micro (entrepreneurial identity), meso (network structures), and macro (institutional governance) levels. Our key insight is that power dynamics are the hidden mechanisms through which EEs determine who gains visibility and support, and whose ventures remain peripheral. Recognising these mechanisms enables scholars and practitioners to understand ecosystems not merely as collections of resources but as evolving arenas of legitimacy and control. The framework provides actionable tools for ecosystem leaders to diagnose and rebalance inequalities, advancing both the analytical and practical agenda for inclusive and high-performing EEs.

Suggested Citation

  • Judith Terstriep & Alexandra David & Lukas Zaghow & Natalia Vershinina & Jörg Freiling, 2025. "Power Plays: Surfacing the Hidden Currents in Entrepreneurial Ecosystems," Post-Print hal-05382012, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05382012
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jbvi.2025.e00584
    Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://hal.science/hal-05382012v1
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    References listed on IDEAS

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