An Exploratory Study on Regional Entrepreneurial Ecosystems and External Factors

This study addresses the insufficient consideration of regional specificities and external factors in prior research on entrepreneurial ecosystems by proposing an analytical model that incorporates these dimensions. Advancing Fischer et al. (2024)’s meta-configurational approach, external influences are categorized into regional characteristics(locational conditions, regional scalability), historical trajectories (support infrastructure, processes of industrial restructuring), industrial sectors(main industries), and socio-cultural embeddedness(social capital, institutions and regulations). A case study of Chuncheon and Incheon, based on 18 in-depth interviews with key stakeholders, reveals that locational conditions and historical paths decisively shape industrial structures and specialized industries, which subsequently affect social capital and institutional arrangements. This study highlights the significance of regional context in entrepreneurial ecosystem research. It verifies how regional resources, through path dependency, shape the entrepreneurial ecosystem of a given region and contributes by proposing a novel model for analyzing external factors influencing regional entrepreneurial ecosystems.