Table 2 Theoretical perspectives and... | Emerald Publishing

Table 2

Theoretical perspectives and related avenues for future research on sustainable and inclusive growth in entrepreneurial ecosystems

Perspective	Illustrative authors	Future research questions
Mission-oriented ecosystems	Mazzucato (2018); Etzkowitz and Leydesdorff (2000); Jarrahi et al. (2022); Liefner and Brueck (2025); Elzing et al. (2023)	How do mission-oriented policies spread across entrepreneurial ecosystems at regional versus national levels? What knowledge governance mechanisms facilitate the spread of missions in cross-border ecosystems? How do public-private knowledge-sharing platforms tailor their missions to local entrepreneurial environments? What knowledge infrastructures enable mission continuity across political cycles and institutional change?
Digital transformation and smart growth	Bresnahan and Trajtenberg (1995); McCann and Ortega-Argilés (2015). Tarafdar et al. (2023); Liu et al. (2025); Papagiannidis (2025); Hunter (2005)	Which knowledge management configurations reduce technostress while maximizing AI-enabled sustainability benefits? How do AI-enabled decision systems reshape ecosystem governance and knowledge legitimacy? What digital knowledge architectures support responsible innovation while accelerating smart regional growth? How do general-purpose technologies reshape knowledge flows and productivity patterns across entrepreneurial ecosystems to enable smart, sustainable regional growth? How are information technology tools being used to capture, disseminate and ultimately preserve indigenous knowledge relevant to endangered or marginalised cultures?
Inclusive sustainability	Carayannis and Campbell (2009); Holling (1973); Veldhuizen (2020); Norström et al. (2020); Doersch and Huchzermeier (2024)	How do n-helix ecosystems sustain resilience during cascading sustainability shocks? What inclusive knowledge-sharing protocols integrate civil society into sustainability initiatives? What regional smart specialization strategies and supply chain resilience frameworks enable entrepreneurial ecosystems to balance planetary boundaries with inclusive social-economic growth? How do marginalised communities co-produce sustainability knowledge within entrepreneurial ecosystems?
Knowledge governance and transfer	Chesbrough et al. (2014a, 2014b); Teece (1986); Corsino and Torrisi (2023); Foss et al. (2010); Marinova and Raven (2006); Orozco and Poonamallee (2014)	What hybrid intellectual property regimes optimise university-industry knowledge exchange for mission goals? How do open innovation hubs govern knowledge transfer in hybrid meso-levels institutions? What role do intermediaries play in translating mission knowledge across public, private, and civic actors? Which metrics best assess appropriability strategies in ecosystems focused on public goods? How do intellectual property right processes in inclusive and sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystems account for indigenous rights to indigenous knowledge?
Sectoral and SME dynamics	Malerba (2002); Sarasvathy (2001); Dolfsma and van der Steen (2024); Hafeez et al. (2025)	How do sectoral innovation systems adapt effectuation principles for net-zero transitions? What SME-specific knowledge tools support sectoral resilience after disruption? How do family-owned businesses combine effectuation with digital knowledge management to achieve sustainability? What sector-specific institutional logics constrain or enable sustainability-oriented entrepreneurship?
Human capital and networks	Acs et al. (2009); Nahapiet and Ghoshal (1998); Burt (2004); Paul (2016); Marin and Wellman (2023); Audretsch and Fiedler (2024); Soda et al. (2021)	Which network brokerage patterns most effectively address knowledge gaps in sustainability missions? How does guanxi facilitate the flow of human capital within high-context entrepreneurial networks? Which training interventions develop brokerage skills for sustainability integrators? What forms of social capital enable trust-based knowledge sharing in sustainability domains? How do network governance structures support or hinder cross-sector mission collaboration?
Individual and organizational knowledge management	Lubatkin et al. (2006); Foss et al. (2010); Gond et al. (2017); Xue et al. (2024); Olsen et al. (2016)	How does transformational leadership influence the impact of technostress on knowledge processes? Which micro-level knowledge management practices empower employees in mission-driven organisations? How do task-technology fit models forecast individual contributions to ecosystem sustainability? What role does organisational identity play in shaping sustainability-oriented knowledge behaviours? How are knowledge management practices coordinated and legitimised across diverse stakeholder groups, including marginalised communities and specialist advocacy groups?
Absorptive and leadership capacity	Cohen and Levinthal (1990); Teece (2007); McLaren and Kattel (2025); Tortoriello (2015); Todorova and Durisin (2023); Stettler et al. (2025); Donate and de Pablo (2015)	What dynamic capabilities influence ecosystem-level absorptive capacity for mission innovation? How do ecosystems build collective absorptive capacity when actors have uneven digital and innovation capabilities? How do leadership styles improve absorptive capacity in ecosystems dominated by SMEs? What contextual factors influence absorptive capacity during grand challenge shocks? How do KM based leadership and management practices impact the innovation performance of firms within inclusive and sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystems?

Perspective	Illustrative authors	Future research questions
Mission-oriented ecosystems	Mazzucato (2018); Etzkowitz and Leydesdorff (2000); Jarrahi et al. (2022); Liefner and Brueck (2025); Elzing et al. (2023)	How do mission-oriented policies spread across entrepreneurial ecosystems at regional versus national levels? What knowledge governance mechanisms facilitate the spread of missions in cross-border ecosystems? How do public-private knowledge-sharing platforms tailor their missions to local entrepreneurial environments? What knowledge infrastructures enable mission continuity across political cycles and institutional change?
Digital transformation and smart growth	Bresnahan and Trajtenberg (1995); McCann and Ortega-Argilés (2015). Tarafdar et al. (2023); Liu et al. (2025); Papagiannidis (2025); Hunter (2005)	Which knowledge management configurations reduce technostress while maximizing AI-enabled sustainability benefits? How do AI-enabled decision systems reshape ecosystem governance and knowledge legitimacy? What digital knowledge architectures support responsible innovation while accelerating smart regional growth? How do general-purpose technologies reshape knowledge flows and productivity patterns across entrepreneurial ecosystems to enable smart, sustainable regional growth? How are information technology tools being used to capture, disseminate and ultimately preserve indigenous knowledge relevant to endangered or marginalised cultures?
Inclusive sustainability	Carayannis and Campbell (2009); Holling (1973); Veldhuizen (2020); Norström et al. (2020); Doersch and Huchzermeier (2024)	How do n-helix ecosystems sustain resilience during cascading sustainability shocks? What inclusive knowledge-sharing protocols integrate civil society into sustainability initiatives? What regional smart specialization strategies and supply chain resilience frameworks enable entrepreneurial ecosystems to balance planetary boundaries with inclusive social-economic growth? How do marginalised communities co-produce sustainability knowledge within entrepreneurial ecosystems?
Knowledge governance and transfer	Chesbrough et al. (2014a, 2014b); Teece (1986); Corsino and Torrisi (2023); Foss et al. (2010); Marinova and Raven (2006); Orozco and Poonamallee (2014)	What hybrid intellectual property regimes optimise university-industry knowledge exchange for mission goals? How do open innovation hubs govern knowledge transfer in hybrid meso-levels institutions? What role do intermediaries play in translating mission knowledge across public, private, and civic actors? Which metrics best assess appropriability strategies in ecosystems focused on public goods? How do intellectual property right processes in inclusive and sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystems account for indigenous rights to indigenous knowledge?
Sectoral and SME dynamics	Malerba (2002); Sarasvathy (2001); Dolfsma and van der Steen (2024); Hafeez et al. (2025)	How do sectoral innovation systems adapt effectuation principles for net-zero transitions? What SME-specific knowledge tools support sectoral resilience after disruption? How do family-owned businesses combine effectuation with digital knowledge management to achieve sustainability? What sector-specific institutional logics constrain or enable sustainability-oriented entrepreneurship?
Human capital and networks	Acs et al. (2009); Nahapiet and Ghoshal (1998); Burt (2004); Paul (2016); Marin and Wellman (2023); Audretsch and Fiedler (2024); Soda et al. (2021)	Which network brokerage patterns most effectively address knowledge gaps in sustainability missions? How does guanxi facilitate the flow of human capital within high-context entrepreneurial networks? Which training interventions develop brokerage skills for sustainability integrators? What forms of social capital enable trust-based knowledge sharing in sustainability domains? How do network governance structures support or hinder cross-sector mission collaboration?
Individual and organizational knowledge management	Lubatkin et al. (2006); Foss et al. (2010); Gond et al. (2017); Xue et al. (2024); Olsen et al. (2016)	How does transformational leadership influence the impact of technostress on knowledge processes? Which micro-level knowledge management practices empower employees in mission-driven organisations? How do task-technology fit models forecast individual contributions to ecosystem sustainability? What role does organisational identity play in shaping sustainability-oriented knowledge behaviours? How are knowledge management practices coordinated and legitimised across diverse stakeholder groups, including marginalised communities and specialist advocacy groups?
Absorptive and leadership capacity	Cohen and Levinthal (1990); Teece (2007); McLaren and Kattel (2025); Tortoriello (2015); Todorova and Durisin (2023); Stettler et al. (2025); Donate and de Pablo (2015)	What dynamic capabilities influence ecosystem-level absorptive capacity for mission innovation? How do ecosystems build collective absorptive capacity when actors have uneven digital and innovation capabilities? How do leadership styles improve absorptive capacity in ecosystems dominated by SMEs? What contextual factors influence absorptive capacity during grand challenge shocks? How do KM based leadership and management practices impact the innovation performance of firms within inclusive and sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystems?