Measuring entrepreneurial ecosystems across levels: a district approach

Sophia Hess (), Andreas Wahl and Alan R. Johnson
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Sophia Hess: University of Stuttgart
Andreas Wahl: University of Stuttgart
Alan R. Johnson: University of Stuttgart

Small Business Economics, 2025, vol. 65, issue 3, No 18, 1617-1649

Abstract: Abstract Entrepreneurial ecosystem measures should combine archival civic and self-reported entrepreneur data. This combination helps to overcome the limitations of aggregated archival data that affect our collective capacity to derive actionable insights for research and policy. Previous measurement approaches lack consistency with entrepreneurial ecosystem theory because they do not capture data at a sufficiently local level or data about entrepreneurs’ values, beliefs, and attitudes. This paper proposes a new measurement approach for EE elements at the district level (NUTS-3), facilitating comparisons of local geographic EE properties and measuring relations between entrepreneurs, new ventures, and their ecosystems. Using confirmatory factor analysis, we combine self-reported and archival data to connect the micro and macro dimensions of the entrepreneurial ecosystem phenomenon. Analyzing survey data from 257 founders of innovative startups across 29 NUTS-3 districts in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, our findings support the “substitutability logic” among ten entrepreneurial ecosystem elements and uncover district-level geographic properties. Our study offers replication possibilities, recommendations for entrepreneurs’ actions, and policy monitoring.

Keywords: Entrepreneurial ecosystems; Measurement development; Construct validation; Confirmatory factor analysis; Spatial granularity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C18 L26 M13 R58 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1007/s11187-025-01041-2

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