This gathering of the editors, Robert Huggins, Piers Thompson, Fumi Kitagawa, Christina Theodoraki, and Daniel Prokop, alongside a selection of contributors provided the opportunity to share insights on different aspects of entrepreneurial ecosystem analysis.
The book’s three sections: The Emergence of Entrepreneurial Ecosystems; The Evolution of Entrepreneurial Ecosystems; and The Future of Entrepreneurial Ecosystems provide comprehensive insights into the theory and practice of the concept.
As the editors spell out there is a need to “account for urban and regional contextual factors when determining the strength or otherwise of entrepreneurial ecosystems”. The book shows that “these factors can lead to the development of entrepreneurial activity of quite a different nature across cities and regions.”
CIMR is very well represented in this volume. One of the editors of the book, Fumi Kitagawa, City-REDI, University of Birmingham, is a CIMR Visiting Fellow. She recently led on a joint City-REDI- CIMR event on Skills for Innovation.
Dr Jonathan Potter, OECD, CIMR Visiting Fellow and Birkbeck Visiting Professor led on the final chapter of the book co-written with Helen Lawton Smith, CIMR Director. Their chapter, Applying the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Concept to Regional Entrepreneurship Policy Analysis – A Critique is a rare example of the concept being used in the field to identify gaps in specific entrepreneurial ecosystems as a basis for advising regional and national policymakers. Jon joined the event online and took the questions from the audience after Helen gave the presentation, reflecting on the nature of academic and policy interactions.
The event enabled all of us there to rethink our own contributions to the entrepreneurial ecosystem framework in the light of what we had heard from the editors and co-contributors across many parts of the world. And it was a great day with sunshine and fun!
Access the book here: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/entrepreneurial-ecosystems-in-cities-and-regions-9780192866264?cc=gb&lang=en&
Helen Lawton Smith, Fumi Kitagawa and Jonathan Potter; May 19th 2024
