How do entrepreneurial ecosystem promotes entrepreneurship in non-core regions? A fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis based on western China

Entrepreneurship plays a crucial role in the economic and social development of non-core regions, and the exploration of its driving mechanisms has received considerable academic attention. This article applies the theory of entrepreneurial ecosystem to non-core regions with less generous entrepreneurial environments. Utilizing on-site survey data collected from Xingping County, a non-core region in western China and employing fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) methodology, the study investigates how the interactions between entrepreneurial ecosystem elements promote or inhibit entrepreneurship in non-core regions with ungenerous entrepreneurial environment. The research reveals that entrepreneurship in non-core regions depends on the combined effects of multiple factors, leading to two pathways that generate high entrepreneurial rate: a policy-driven pathway and a human capital-supports-driven pathway. Additionally, the study identifies two pathways that result in low entrepreneurial rate: a supports-inhibitory pathway and a human capital-policy-inhibitory pathway. This research contributes to the theoretical understanding of entrepreneurial geography and provides decision-making foundations for fostering entrepreneurship and local economic development in non-core regions.