Activities of Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Actors to Foster Adaptive and Evolving Ecosystems

Abstract

This chapter investigates the activities typically performed within productive entrepreneurial ecosystems (EE), while also identifying research gaps and their theoretical and practical implications. This chapter emphasizes the actions that actors—entrepreneurial actors, resource providers, and entrepreneurial connectors—actually undertake in the ecosystem. A thematic literature review was conducted on 30 academic journal articles and book chapters retrieved from the Scopus database, using the keywords: “productive” AND “entrepreneurial ecosystem” OR “entrepreneurship ecosystem” (initial sample of 73). The analysis revealed six core categories of activities: (1) entrepreneurial behavior, (2) knowledge and human capital development, (3) financial support and investments, (4) network and social integration mechanisms, (5) system-level ecosystem facilitation, and (6) malpractices and inefficiencies. Notably, some institutions were found to engage in adverse practices, such as corruption. This chapter also highlights several gaps in the literature: First, research predominantly addresses resource providers and entrepreneurial actors, with limited attention to diverse types of entrepreneurial connectors; second, there is a scarcity of studies on system-level ecosystem facilitation beyond government-led pro-entrepreneurial policies; third, certain activities—such as knowledge protection and talent attraction—remain underexplored. Theoretically, this chapter contributes to a process-based understanding of EEs, positioning activities as the primary units of analysis rather than focusing solely on individual actors or static elements. Practically, the findings underscore the importance of reflexivity among ecosystem actors—the capacity to critically assess their own actions and relational dynamics—to adapt effectively to evolving entrepreneurial contexts and enhance ecosystem productivity.