Broad or Bounded? Scope, Governance and Diaspora Knowledge Contribution to Home Entrepreneurial Ecosystems

Home entrepreneurial ecosystems can gain from diaspora members’ market knowledge, managerial experience, and international connections, but these resources matter only when knowledge holders choose to contribute them. The study examined how a diaspora ecosystem connector’s external knowledge-sharing scope and governance emphasis shaped that decision in a 2 × 2 randomised vignette experiment ( N = 400) with Indian-origin knowledge holders living in Gulf Cooperation Council countries. Broad authorised access increased both perceived social impact and perceived loss of knowledge power, creating opposing indirect effects on intention to share entrepreneurial knowledge. Procedure-dominant governance weakened the knowledge-power cost of broad access, while group-level self-investment strengthened the positive effect of perceived social impact. The study shows how psychological and governance mechanisms jointly shape diaspora participation in home entrepreneurial ecosystems and why wider reach needs credible safeguards for contributors’ expertise.