From Gaining Entry to Sustaining Trust: Extending Access Theory for Researching Diaspora Entrepreneurial Ecosystems

This article proposes a methodological approach to investigating diaspora entrepreneurial ecosystems through the lens of epistemic access. It argues that in diaspora, migrant, ethnic minority, faith-based, informal, and socially bounded entrepreneurial communities, access is not just about getting into the community; it also shapes what researchers can gather, interpret, and report. It extends the access theory proposed by Buchanan et al. (1988, Doing research in organisations , pp. 53–67) and identifies four interconnected dimensions of epistemic access: (a) relational ; (b) cultural ; (c) linguistic ; and (d) ethical . These dimensions help explain how trust, cultural awareness, language use, reciprocal arrangements, and legitimate representation affect disclosure, interpretation, meaning transfer, and knowledge generation. The article concludes that rigorous qualitative research on diaspora entrepreneurial ecosystems depends on sustained trust, cultural sensitivity, linguistic attentiveness, and ethical accountability. It contributes to qualitative entrepreneurship methodology by repositioning access as an epistemic and ethical condition of inquiry.