Public policy’s role and capability in fostering the emergence and evolution of entrepreneurial ecosystems: A case of ecosystem-based policy in Finland

Abstract

This paper explores public policy’s role and capability in fostering the emergence and evolution of entrepreneurial ecosystems. While the entrepreneurial ecosystem approach has focused on the ingredients and essentials of entrepreneurial ecosystems, the policy-focused dimensions are lacking, and especially insights derived through the “real world” policy efforts to develop entrepreneurial ecosystems. This paper contributes to the discussion by focusing on various actors’ roles in supporting entrepreneurship and facilitating interaction and collaboration within entrepreneurial ecosystems by taking a participatory action research approach to study the case of ecosystem-based policy in Finland. Findings illustrate that public policy may incubate and facilitate entrepreneurial ecosystems through regionally embedded actors. Through well-designed, sustainable and leadership-based innovation services, entrepreneurs are linked to co-creation processes, data, infrastructure and competencies to support new ventures whilst benefitting also the regional ecosystem. However, the challenge lies in embedding the processes in other regional contexts in which the organisations and institutional settings may be different.

Taking the systems approaches out of their comfort zones: Perspectives from under explored contexts

“…In this book, we aimed to bridge older and new concepts in the literature and create synergies and policy lessons from the wider body of work investigating (eco)systemic dynamics to regional development and associated themes (Pugh et al., 2020; Schmutzler et al, 2020). The second contribution, a special issue in Local Economy (Tsvetkova et al., 2019), was focused primarily on the geographical limits of the system and ecosystem approaches in the predominant literature, bringing in papers that examine cases in Latin America (Freire‐Gibb & Gregson, 2019; Podcameni et al, 2019; Porras‐Paez & Schmutzler, 2019), South Africa (Grobbelaar & Uriona‐Maldonado, 2019), and Finland (Nordling, 2019). This special issue in Growth and Change extends this line of work, providing even more diverse contexts—both geographically and thematically—for the exploration of systems and ecosystems and taking them out of “comfort zones.” The SI presents new cases, approaches, topics, and theoretical views on systemic approaches to economic development.…”

“…Interestingly, Finland has become quite a hotbed of research into (eco)systemic policies in recent years, no doubt in part to its enduring role as one of the countries at the forefront of efforts to develop innovation and entrepreneurship via policy (see: Laasonen et al., 2020). Indeed, Finnish researchers are pushing forward discussions by presenting and analysing a multitude of empirical cases of ecosystemic approaches to regional development in action (e.g., Autio et al, 2014; Hämäläinen, 2015; Nordling, 2019; Rinkinen & Harmaakorpi, 2018). In this case, Makkonen and Kahila take systemic approaches out of their comfort zones by adding the peripheral region perspective expanding the scope of mostly urban research.…”

Coming into fashion: Expanding the entrepreneurial ecosystem concept to the creative industries through a Toronto case study

“…We situate our paper within this body of work that seeks to make the framework more relevant to a wider set of people and places. Although we study CCIs, via the fashion industry, our research speaks to recent contributions unpacking the EE approach in various contexts, such as maternal healthcare in South Africa (Grobbelaar and Uriona‐Maldonado 2020), Porto's cultural and creative economy (Loots et al 2020), and efforts to orchestrate EEs in Colombia (Porras‐Paez and Schmutzler 2020) and Finland (Nordling 2019).…”

“…Accordingly, with our focus on CCIs and the fashion industry specifically, we see this paper countering a trend in the EE literature. Current studies have been expanding the concept's applications within a global and wide sectoral perspective (Nordling 2019; Freire‐Gib and Gregson 2020; Grobbelaar and Uriona‐Maldonado 2020; Loots et al 2020; Porras‐Paez and Schmutzler 2020; Tsvetkova, Pugh, and Schmutzler 2020; Tsvetkova, Schmutzler and Pugh 2020). However, we believe that this research, with its narrow focus on high‐tech industries, is missing out on important influences and dynamics in the contemporary economy.…”

Entrepreneurial ecosystem and social entrepreneurship: case studies of community-based craft from Kutch, India

“…Robust public policy helps in incubating and facilitating EEs through regionally embedded actors. Through well designed, sustainable and leadership-based innovation services, entrepreneurs are linked to co-creation processes, data infrastructure and competencies to support new ventures while benefitting also regional ecosystem (Nordling, 2019).…”