Developing and governing entrepreneurial ecosystems: The structure of entrepreneurial support programs in Edinburgh, Scotland

Entrepreneurial ecosystems have emerged a popular concept within entrepreneurship policy and practitioner communities. Entrepreneurial ecosystems are seen as a regional economic development strategy based around creating supportive environments that foster innovative startups. However, existing research on entrepreneurial ecosystems has been largely atheoretical and has not yet explored how they influence the entrepreneurship process. This paper critically examines the relationships between ecosystems and other existing bodies of work such as clusters and regional innovation systems. Drawing on this background, the paper suggests a process-based view of ecosystems is a better way to understand their role in supporting new venture creation.