The role of regional actors in shaping cohesive local entrepreneurial ecosystems

Burvill, Samantha; Bowen, Robert; Cummings, Beth

doi:10.1177/14657503261429724

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The role of regional actors in shaping cohesive local entrepreneurial ecosystems

Samantha Burvill

, Robert Bowen

, Beth Cummings

The International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation

Swansea University Authors: Samantha Burvill , Beth Cummings

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DOI (Published version): 10.1177/14657503261429724

Abstract

The concept of Entrepreneurial Ecosystems (EE) has gained traction both in academic and policy circles over recent years. Despite this, many questions still exist especially regarding micro-level aspects of EEs, particularly the role of support organisations, and how local actors contribute to and s...

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Published in:	The International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation
ISSN:	1465-7503 2043-6882
Published:	SAGE Publications 2026
Online Access:	Check full text
URI:	https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa71632

first_indexed	2026-03-16T16:01:40Z
last_indexed	2026-04-15T04:47:33Z
id	cronfa71632
recordtype	SURis
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spelling	2026-04-14T15:13:35.6266162 v2 71632 2026-03-16 The role of regional actors in shaping cohesive local entrepreneurial ecosystems bedfd86256ce4984ab246a3228bb1da2 0000-0003-4893-3371 Samantha Burvill Samantha Burvill true false 6e20933c8d9d5e7db1753c71eaca649c 0000-0002-0472-5936 Beth Cummings Beth Cummings true false 2026-03-16 CBAE The concept of Entrepreneurial Ecosystems (EE) has gained traction both in academic and policy circles over recent years. Despite this, many questions still exist especially regarding micro-level aspects of EEs, particularly the role of support organisations, and how local actors contribute to and shape a cohesive ecosystem. This study aims to garner an in depth understanding of the role of a local ecosystem leader/facilitator organisation in furthering the well-being agenda of their region. This is critical given the current preoccupation within the EE literature on high growth ecosystems. Through an in-depth case study of an ecosystem facilitator in South West Wales, the findings highlight the critical yet often overlooked role played by less common types of organisations within local ecosystems in contributing to and furthering the sustainable development goal and well-being agenda. The facilitator develops a cohesive ecosystem through the collective action of actors in a vibrant and engaged ecosystem. Journal Article The International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation 0 SAGE Publications 1465-7503 2043-6882 entrepreneurial ecosystem; regional actors; well-being; sustainable development goals (SDGs); regional development 7 3 2026 2026-03-07 10.1177/14657503261429724 COLLEGE NANME Management School COLLEGE CODE CBAE Swansea University Another institution paid the OA fee Funding for this research was provided from a grant from the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales. 2026-04-14T15:13:35.6266162 2026-03-16T11:00:17.8356915 Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences School of Management - Business Management Samantha Burvill 0000-0003-4893-3371 1 Robert Bowen 0000-0002-8492-2701 2 Beth Cummings 0000-0002-0472-5936 3 71632__36506__2756d4e743c145f38c83edec991a7b31.pdf 71632.VoR (2).pdf 2026-04-14T15:11:19.9253607 Output 1172415 application/pdf Version of Record true © The Author(s) 2026. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. true eng https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
title	The role of regional actors in shaping cohesive local entrepreneurial ecosystems
spellingShingle	The role of regional actors in shaping cohesive local entrepreneurial ecosystems Samantha Burvill Beth Cummings
title_short	The role of regional actors in shaping cohesive local entrepreneurial ecosystems
title_full	The role of regional actors in shaping cohesive local entrepreneurial ecosystems
title_fullStr	The role of regional actors in shaping cohesive local entrepreneurial ecosystems
title_full_unstemmed	The role of regional actors in shaping cohesive local entrepreneurial ecosystems
title_sort	The role of regional actors in shaping cohesive local entrepreneurial ecosystems
author_id_str_mv	bedfd86256ce4984ab246a3228bb1da2 6e20933c8d9d5e7db1753c71eaca649c
author_id_fullname_str_mv	bedfd86256ce4984ab246a3228bb1da2_*_Samantha Burvill 6e20933c8d9d5e7db1753c71eaca649c_*_Beth Cummings
author	Samantha Burvill Beth Cummings
author2	Samantha Burvill Robert Bowen Beth Cummings
format	Journal article
container_title	The International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation
container_volume	0
publishDate	2026
institution	Swansea University
issn	1465-7503 2043-6882
doi_str_mv	10.1177/14657503261429724
publisher	SAGE Publications
college_str	Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
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hierarchy_top_title	Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
hierarchy_parent_id	facultyofhumanitiesandsocialsciences
hierarchy_parent_title	Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
department_str	School of Management - Business Management{{{_:::_}}}Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences{{{_:::_}}}School of Management - Business Management
document_store_str	1
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description	The concept of Entrepreneurial Ecosystems (EE) has gained traction both in academic and policy circles over recent years. Despite this, many questions still exist especially regarding micro-level aspects of EEs, particularly the role of support organisations, and how local actors contribute to and shape a cohesive ecosystem. This study aims to garner an in depth understanding of the role of a local ecosystem leader/facilitator organisation in furthering the well-being agenda of their region. This is critical given the current preoccupation within the EE literature on high growth ecosystems. Through an in-depth case study of an ecosystem facilitator in South West Wales, the findings highlight the critical yet often overlooked role played by less common types of organisations within local ecosystems in contributing to and furthering the sustainable development goal and well-being agenda. The facilitator develops a cohesive ecosystem through the collective action of actors in a vibrant and engaged ecosystem.
published_date	2026-03-07T05:47:33Z
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score	11.42897

The role of regional actors in shaping cohesive local entrepreneurial ecosystems

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