Measures of Entrepreneurial Ecosystems: Why Do We Need Them, Who Will Need Them, and What Will Be Done with Them?

Abstract

Many authors have attempted to draw together a perspective on entrepreneurship that captures the influences of the environment. However, the description of the relationships between the entrepreneur, their firms and the broader environment or ecosystem, has varied among theorists. Based on the variations in viewpoint, this paper stops to ask three important questions that underpin the rationale of entrepreneurship ecosystem measurement: 1) Why is it important to measure entrepreneurial ecosystems? 2) Who will make use of a measure of entrepreneurial ecosystems? 3) What will measures of entrepreneurial ecosystems be used for? The contribution of this paper is to illustrate a holistic view of entrepreneurial ecosystem, and focus on the measurement based on our international comparative studies within USA, Australia, France and Japan.