Corporate entrepreneurship and the sustainable development goals: exploring the connection

Antonio Rodríguez-Peña ()
Additional contact information
Antonio Rodríguez-Peña: Ean University

Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, 2025, vol. 14, issue 1, 1-27

Abstract: Abstract This study explores the relationship between corporate entrepreneurship (CE) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), addressing gaps in the existing literature through empirical evidence. It analyses how CE activities contribute to the social, environmental, economic, and cooperative dimensions of the SDGs, with a particular focus on those related to peace, justice, strong institutions, and partnerships (SDG 16—peace, justice and strong institutions and 17—partnerships for the goals). Furthermore, the study evaluates the interrelationships among SDG variables, confirming significant associations that contribute to both theoretical development and practical applications. A quantitative, cross-sectional, and exploratory methodology was employed, with a sample of 144,994 adults from 41 countries across five regions of the world. Data on CE were sourced from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (2019), while SDG indicators were obtained from the SDGs Report (2022). To analyze the proposed relationships, partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was utilized, a technique well-suited for complex models involving latent variables and indirect relationships. The results confirm all the hypotheses, although they reveal that the impact of CE on the SDGs is positive but weak. In contrast, the interrelationships between SDG variables exhibit stronger effects, particularly highlighting a significant relationship between cooperative SDGs (SUPRA) and social SDGs (SOC). These findings underscore the role of SDGs 16 and 17 as key drivers of global sustainable development. This study contributes to the theoretical understanding of CE as a driver of the SDGs, though its impact on specific dimensions is limited. Practically, it highlights the importance of integrating institutional and business efforts to enhance the impact of CE on the SDGs. The findings are crucial for informing government policies that promote sustainable development and for developing corporate strategies that align with these goals.

Keywords: Corporate entrepreneurship; Intrapreneurship; Entrepreneurial employee activity; Innovability; Sustainable development goals; SDG; Sustainability; Sustainable development (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://link.springer.com/10.1186/s13731-025-00481-0 Abstract (text/html)
Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:joiaen:v:14:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1186_s13731-025-00481-0

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
https://innovation-e ... ip.springeropen.com/

DOI: 10.1186/s13731-025-00481-0

Access Statistics for this article

Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship is currently edited by Elias G. Carayannis

More articles in Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship from Springer
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().