Entrepreneurial ecosystems governance: critical perspectives and steps forward

This article examines the literature on the governance issues prevailing within entrepreneurial ecosystems (EE) from a critical perspective, providing an integrative framework that consolidates the existing knowledge and a future research agenda. We conducted a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) approach, focusing on 99 articles from the Web of Science database. We applied bibliographic coupling techniques, resorting to VosViewer software to identify the main thematic groups in the field of EE governance, namely: (1) government support policies and the role of institutions, (2) the metamorphosis of EE (network governance, sustainability, and innovation), (3) the role of leadership in fostering EE, (4) institutional accelerators for EE, and (5) the role of entrepreneurs in EE governance. This study reports that this field remains relatively new and fragmented, presenting good prospects for evolution. Additionally, it emphasizes the importance of aligning various governance actors, adopting different mechanisms and strategies based on visible (top-down) approaches to generate new EE and ensure both their growth and sustainable development, increasing its impact on the regional economic context.