The entrepreneurial ecosystem as a network-rich system: A systematic mapping study

Many researchers recognise that the entrepreneurial ecosystem is a network, defined as the interaction between the components (actors & factors), but little research has been conducted on the systematic analysis of network properties Although, several systematic literature reviews exist on either entrepreneurial ecosystem or network, but none of them has addressed the specific realm of the research. The purpose of this study is to provide a useful literature map about entrepreneurial ecosystem research especially in determining the position of network theory and also to identify gaps and state-of-the-art in research as well as implications and guidelines for both scholars and practitioners. This paper presented a systematic mapping study that found 206 papers of entrepreneurial ecosystem. These papers were surveyed, analysed and classified according to research focus, research method, paper type, and publication trends that change over time. Analyses of the 206 articles showed that research on entrepreneurial ecosystem with focus on network theory is still limited. The most widely used research method and paper type for this topic are qualitative and philosophical paper type. The trend of publication showed a significant development especially in 2016-2017. Based on the SMS results, it can be a state of the art of entrepreneurial ecosystem research from network theory perspective which is still limited and needed to be explored.