Intellectual architecture of sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystems - a bibliometric review

Purpose Despite growing scholarly attention, research on sustainability and Entrepreneurial Ecosystems (EEs) remains theoretically, empirically and methodologically dispersed. Recent reviews have mapped the research but not diagnosed why the field is disconnected. This study aims to identify structural causes of this fragmentation and provides a theoretically grounded roadmap for integration. Design/methodology/approach A bibliometric analysis of 140 peer-reviewed articles from the Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus (1997–March 2025) was conducted using VOSviewer and Biblioshiny (RStudio) software. Citation, co-citation, bibliographic coupling and keyword cooccurrence analyses mapped the field’s descriptive, intellectual and conceptual structure and identified the communities and logics underlying its fragmentation. Findings The findings indicate that fragmentation in the field arises from a structural divide between two distinct intellectual communities: one anchored in market logic focused on policy and economic architecture, and the other in sustainability logic centered on innovation and social impact. The analysis uncovers a “measurement and performance paradox,” where traditional economic metrics favored by the policy community fail to capture the holistic value created by sustainable ventures. Digital entrepreneurship ecosystems emerged as a potential bridging theme between the two communities. Originality/value This study explains why the field remains fragmented by anchoring its diagnosis in the institutional logics perspective. Its primary contribution is identifying incompatible market and sustainability logics as the root of structural divide. The analysis extends to developing economies through institutional voids and a third community logic. The study translates these findings into stakeholder-specific bridging mechanisms for entrepreneurs, policymakers, developing economy actors and ecosystem orchestrators.