Knowledge Mobility and Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Renewal: A Conceptual Theory of Regional Innovation Regeneration
Keywords:
entrepreneurial ecosystems, sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystems, collective value creation, collaborative resource orchestration, stakeholder alignmentAbstract
Entrepreneurial ecosystem research has largely explained how configurations of actors, institutions, and resources support entrepreneurial activity and regional economic performance, yet it remains insufficiently equipped to explain how such ecosystems generate enduring economic, social, and environmental value. Addressing this theoretical gap, this conceptual article develops a middle-range theory of sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystems by identifying collective value creation as the generative mechanism linking ecosystem interaction to sustainability outcomes. The framework is constructed through an integrative synthesis of entrepreneurial ecosystem theory, sustainable entrepreneurship, ecosystem strategy, and relational and stakeholder perspectives, followed by the specification of core constructs, causal mechanisms, boundary conditions, and theoretical propositions. The resulting model explains how collaborative resource orchestration enables heterogeneous actors to co-create multidimensional value, reinforce supportive institutions, and strengthen adaptive resilience. The article advances existing knowledge by shifting attention from ecosystem composition to ecosystem processes and by conceptualizing sustainability as an emergent property of sustained interdependence rather than an additional outcome. The proposed theory offers a coherent basis for empirical testing, contextual refinement, and cumulative research across diverse institutional and regional settings.
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