How do entrepreneurs influence their social environment? A bibliometric analysis and editorial

Abstract

This article introduces the special issue on how entrepreneurs influence their social environment. The purpose of this special issue is to illustrate recent research exploring some of the unresolved questions relating to and uncovering connections between entrepreneurs' characteristics, actions, and experiences with their social environment. First, we report the results of a bibliometric analysis of articles addressing how entrepreneurs influence their immediate business environment (N = 873), the immediate private environment (N = 813), and the broader societal environment (N = 2,380). Second, we describe the seven articles in this special issue, which encompass a range of theoretical frameworks, research designs, and methodologies. We believe that the research featured in this special issue offers meaningful contributions to existing knowledge and will stimulate future research into examining the boundary conditions and psychological mechanisms that potentially explain the complex effects of entrepreneurs' experiences, characteristics, and behavior on different stakeholders and entities in their proximal and distal environments.