The concept of Entrepreneurial Ecosystems (EEs) has gained attention among academic, policy and practitioner discourse due to its potential to foster and sustain environments that nurture High Growth Firms (HGFs). HGFs are viewed as having a key influence on the socio-economic development of regions, particularly in terms of job and wealth creation. Despite its popularity, the EE concept remains undertheorized with persistent gaps in understanding ecosystem causality. The lack of a solid theoretical grounding has led to the development of ineffective policies and initiatives which implicitly or explicitly exclude individuals from being part of an EE.
This thesis adopts a Critical Realist (CR) perspective to examine how the interplay of social capital, legitimacy, and entrepreneurship support influence sectoral exclusion in EEs. Data was collected through 30 in-depth interviews with high growth entrepreneurs and EE stakeholders at the city of Leeds, UK between March 2021 to June 2022 and was complemented with participatory observations as well as with various secondary data sources. By utilising Braun and Clarke's (2022) Reflexive Thematic Analysis to analyse data, the study answers three questions: (i) what aspects of the EE affect the social capital of entrepreneurs and how? (ii) what aspects of the EE affect the legitimacy of entrepreneurs and how? and (iii) who interacts with UESOs and UESPs and why?
In doing so, the study provides several contributions to theory, methodology, policy, and practice. In terms of theory, the study extends the legitimacy literature by demonstrating how legitimacy perceptions are formed and how that subsequently influences interactions and exclusion within an EE. The study also explicates how the EE structure, stage of enterprise development, and entrepreneurial motivations, influence the social capital process and how that relates to EE exclusion. Moreover, the study uncovers how EE support influences the entrepreneurial process and hence inclusion within an EE. The methodological contributions of this thesis stem from the use of CR to address the existing EE gaps related to causality, the relationship between agency and structure, and the need for contextualisation. In terms of policy, the study sheds light on how certain funding structures and regional strategies to attract large corporations influence the presence and accessibility of entrepreneurial resources and hence the functioning of the EE. Lastly, in terms of practice, the thesis provides insights on what UESO and UESP practices influence the social capital, legitimacy, and inclusion of entrepreneurs within an EE and how. The study concludes by proposing an agenda for future research avenues.
