Entrepreneurial ecosystems are essential for economic growth, yet research has predominantly focused on developed economies and urban contexts. This special issue seeks to address the underrepresentation of emerging economy research by examining entrepreneurial ecosystems across Africa, Asia, South America, and other developing regions. The issue recognizes that emerging economies face distinct challenges including weak institutions, high uncertainty, limited market sizes, and infrastructure gaps that fundamentally shape how ecosystems develop and function differently than in advanced economies.
The special issue invites research that balances Global North and Global South perspectives, examines ecosystem temporality and evolution, applies systems thinking to understand broader societal impacts, considers multi-level interactions from individual to macro levels, and explores how digitalization uniquely affects emerging economy contexts. Contributors are encouraged to investigate governmental initiatives like Startup Chile and Startup India and to address how entrepreneurial ecosystems can support sustainable development and circular economy practices in developing regions.