International entrepreneurship as a dynamic capability in new ventures: Defining the concept and identifying its antecedents and outcomes through a systematic literature review

The literature on international entrepreneurship has devoted much attention to new or young firms. The dynamic capabilities framework has been often chosen to explain the internationalization of companies early in their life. However, the interpretations of the concept of dynamic capabilities are different and sometimes inconsistent. Furthermore, the application of the framework to the field of international entrepreneurship in young firms has sometimes generated ambiguity. The purpose of this literature review is to analyze the published research on the topic and synthesize it into a coherent framework that serves as a guide for researchers. To do this, we systematically analyzed 75 articles published in peer reviewed journals. The study produced a definition of international entrepreneurship capability, understood as a higher order dynamic capability, in early internationalizing firms. We have also identified the lower-order capabilities that constitute it, as well as its antecedents and main outcomes. The article concludes with an agenda for future research.