Sustainable industrial transformation through entrepreneurial ecosystem governance: The case of Polish energy clusters

Objective: The article aims to expand the concept of regional industrial transformation to sustainable industrial transformation (SIT) and explain the role of ecosystemic governance in SIT on conceptual and empirical grounds based on Polish local energy clusters. Research Design & Methods: We surveyed energy cluster initiatives in Poland, which we supplemented with a secondary data analysis and semi-structured interviews with the clusters’ administration. The survey raised a final sample of 43 observations of active energy cluster initiatives in Poland. The analytical technique was qualitative comparative analysis, an approach between qualitative and quantitative data treatment. Findings: We identified governance characteristics associated with the different levels of sustainable energy industrial transformation (SEIT). We revealed two governance patterns conducive to high-transformative energy clusters and two patterns of low-transformative cluster initiatives. Implications & Recommendations: We provide empirical evidence of SEIT on an under-researched local level and identify the ecosystemic governance types favourable for and impeding this industrial transformation, with conclusions and recommendations relevant to economic policy and future research. Contribution & Value Added: This research contributes by expanding the conceptual framework of regional industrial transformation to SIT based on socioeconomic governance, with the adoption of co-evolutionary and entrepreneurial ecosystem approaches. Moreover, it corroborates and advances the concept of SIT on the empirical ground of Polish local energy clusters.