Although the literature on Entrepreneurial Ecosystems (EEs) has shown conceptual interest in studying Entrepreneurial Support Organizations (ESOs), their role in EE sustainable transitions remains understudied. The primary objective of this study is to deepen the research dealing with ESO roles vis-& agrave;-vis the institutional pressure they undergo for sustainable entrepreneurship. We rely on an abductive qualitative study based on 45 semi-structured interviews. Our findings show ESOs perform two main roles towards EE sustainable transitions, first as sustainable entrepreneurship enablers, and second as EE sustainable transition interfaces, thereby contributing to the development of sustainable EEs. However, ESOs are undergoing a dual institutional pressure which generates institutional misalignments in their actions, in turn causing ineffective support solutions with risks of greenwashing. We contribute to the literature on EEs by demonstrating ESOs act as core actors of EE sustainable transitions, but also by highlighting their limits in this process due to the institutional context.
Recent studies suggest that prosocial motivation increases research interactions between scientists and actors outside a university context. However, these studies have often drawn on conflicting conceptualizations and measurements of prosocial motivation. To provide a systematic analysis of the relationship between prosocial motivation and interaction with external partners, we address two critical aspects. First, we assess the contrasting influence of prosocial, intrinsic, and extrinsic motivations for conducting research on the intensity of joint research with external partners. Second, we investigate the moderating role of networking skills and external partner types, as boundary conditions. We employ data derived from a survey of scientists from Spanish universities and public research organizations. We find that scientists with a strong prosocial research motivation engage more intensively in joint research with external partners compared to intrinsically or extrinsically motivated scientists. We also show that this relationship is enhanced if the scientists have well developed networking skills.
This article investigates adoption by French plastics industry companies of circular eco-innovation strategies, such as recycling of fossil-based plastics, production of bio-based copies of fossil polymers, and development of new bio-based plastics. Primary data were collected via interviews with various plastics value-chain stakeholders and were supplemented by a substantial amount of secondary data. Analysing these data through an evolutionary theoretical framework lens that combines the multi-level perspective on sociotechnical transitions with organisational path dependence theory addresses two limitations in the existing literature: the fragmented analyses of the determinants of circular eco-innovations and contradictory interpretations of the potential of new bio-based plastics to disrupt prevailing industrial structures in favour of the circular economy. Our results demonstrate the relevance of path dependence theory at the value chain level and highlight the importance of (inter-)organisational mechanisms in the industry circular transition.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the critical test case for the twin transition, the interplay of the digital and the green transformation, as it can reduce but also increase negative environmental effects. By synthesising recent advances, this paper develops an integrative firm-level understanding of AI's role in the twin transition. First, we propose a typology of effects through which AI shapes environmental outcomes: efficiency and footprint effects, prebound and rebound effects, and unlocking and path-escalating effects. Second, we show that these effects are not properties of AI itself but emerge from how firms choose to manage interactions between effects strategically. To nuance the interplay of effects and strategic choices, we develop and illustrate three AI adoption configurations: sustainability-amplifying, productivity-stabilising, and harm-amplifying AI adoption. Our paper offers new research avenues on AI and environmental sustainability as well as actionable guidance for managers and policymakers seeking to steer AI deployment towards sustainable effects.
Amid accelerating global climate governance and sustainable development, understanding the role of supply chain digitisation (SCD) in reducing corporate carbon emissions is increasingly prominent. It offers a potential pathway for firms seeking to overcome emission challenges and achieve green transformation. Grounded in the resource-based view, this study explores a causal relationship between SCD and corporate carbon emissions. This paper leverages the supply chain pilot policy issued by the Chinese government in 2018 as a quasi-natural experiment to test our hypotheses. Using data from A-share listed industrial enterprises spanning 2012 to 2022, we find that SCD promotes corporate carbon reduction by facilitating energy transition, alleviating financing constraints, and fostering green technology innovation. Additionally, the effect of SCD on carbon reduction is more pronounced among SOEs, firms with high supply chain concentration, and low industry competition. This research makes substantive contributions to the emerging literature on sustainable supply chain management and corporate environmental performance, while offering practical implications for enterprises seeking to optimise supply chain operations and achieve carbon neutrality.
This paper investigates the impact of digitalisation and sustainability strategies on firm performance, focusing on European SMEs. While digital and green transitions are increasingly promoted as mutually reinforcing paths to competitiveness and resilience, evidence on their actual synergies at the firm level remains mixed. Using data from the European Commission's Flash Eurobarometer 486 survey, we assess the extent to which digital and sustainability strategies-individually and jointly-contribute to turnover growth. Our results show that digitalisation is consistently associated with improved firm performance, confirming its enabling role for growth and innovation. In contrast, we do not find a link between sustainability efforts and growth, and we find no evidence of complementarities between the two strategies: firms pursuing both do not achieve superior growth outcomes compared to those focusing solely on digitalisation. These findings suggest that SMEs often treat digitalisation and sustainability as distinct, rather than integrated, strategic domains - thus missing potential synergies.
Building on the knowledge complexity framework, this study examines how a city's knowledge base shapes its technology inflow and outflow across geographical scales. We employ the Knowledge Complexity Index (KCI) to characterise cities' knowledge bases and the Technology Complexity Index (TCI) to capture the intrinsic sophistication of technologies. Using patent licencing data in China from 2009 to 2020, we analyse intra-and extra-regional technology transfers involving cities in the Yangtze River Delta Region (YRDR). The results show that cities with higher knowledge complexity engage in fewer technology transfers in quantitative terms but exchange technologies of higher complexity. These patterns generally hold for both inflows and outflows, though their magnitude differs between intra-and extra-regional scales. Moreover, city size mitigates the relationship between knowledge complexity and the volume of technology transfers. Overall, the findings highlight the central role of cities' knowledge bases in shaping their multi-scalar technology transfer behaviours.
Clear patent claims are pivotal for properly delineating a patents' boundaries. This study makes use of a unique setting in the chemical industry to explore how claim clarity affects the likelihood of patent litigation for infringement and of winning the lawsuit. Moreover, we develop and validate a measure of claim clarity in chemistry using textual analysis. Our findings suggest that clearer patent claims reduce the likelihood of patent litigation and increase the odds of a plaintiff winning (rather than settling or losing) a lawsuit. Broader legal patent scope decreases the win-rate-enhancing effect of claim clarity. The study contributes to the literatures on patent litigation and follow-on innovation by illuminating, theoretically and empirically, the role of claim clarity, per se and in interaction with legal patent scope.
Institutional investors are increasingly aiming to invest in transitions, and they see entrepreneurial ecosystems as a powerful channel. The potential is large, but so far unmet. So, what stops institutional investors from realising their transition ambitions through investments in entrepreneurial ecosystems? Our interviews with key actors in the Dutch venture investment chain suggest that institutional investors such as pension funds can play a crucial role in providing patient capital to develop entrepreneurial ecosystems and to help scale innovative impact ventures. We identify significant barriers for doing so at three levels: first, there are conflicting goals at pension fund boards; second, within pension fund investment organisations, ecosystem goals are frustrated by existing models, rules, and culture; and third, there are ongoing frictions across the investment chain.
Attracting and retaining talent remain pivotal in driving smart city initiatives. Although different strands of research suggest that smart cities promote urban innovation, innovative economic environment, and quality of life, a combination of which we call the 'innovation loop', there is a dearth of research that studies whether these advancements help smart cities attract talent. In this research, we examine the role of the innovation loop in attracting talent to smart cities. Focusing on the Italian context - a nation at the forefront of European smart city policies - we employ a spatial panel data approach covering 30 Italian cities over 13 years (2009-2021). Our results indicate a positive relationship between the innovation loop and attracting talent in smart cities. The study offers novel implications for stakeholders, including policymakers, urban planners, and entrepreneurs, supported by empirical evidence.
This study investigates the relationship between digitalisation breadth -defined as the number of different digital technologies adopted by a firm - and firm performance. Drawing on the knowledge-based view of the firm we propose an inverted U-shaped relationship: while digitalisation can enhance efficiency and effectiveness, excessive breadth may generate escalating costs due to greater knowledge integration efforts and potential disruption to existing processes. Using the lens of absorptive capacity, we further propose that organisational skills moderate this relationship by mitigating the performance drawbacks associated with high levels of digitalisation breadth. Using data from the Flash Eurobarometer 486 survey, we find support for our hypotheses. Our findings contribute to the digital transformation literature by theorising and demonstrating a non-linear association between digitalisation breadth and firm performance, identifying organisational skills as a key contingency, and highlighting the importance of examining technology adoption in conjunction with complementary organisational resources.
This article examines an underexplored aspect of academic engagement: the scientific impact of university - firm collaborations and the role of dual-affiliated knowledge brokers. Focusing on science-based technology fields that combine basic and applied research, we analyse 8,455 publications by 184 electrical engineering professors at Sweden's five leading engineering universities (2000-2018) and measure impact using citation counts. We distinguish academic-only publications from those listing at least one firm affiliation and systematically test whether dual-affiliations further shape impact. Publications with industry are more highly cited than those from academic-only collaborations. The advantage is stronger when dual-affiliated professors, with appointments in both academia and industry, are part of the author team. We suggest this reflects the integration of complementary expertise and topic choices that connect theory with practice. The study contributes to research on academic engagement and the economics of science by clarifying when industry collaboration, especially involving dual-affiliated professors, raises scientific impact.
