UNIFYING ECOSYSTEM PERSPECTIVES: A SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE REVIEW OF ENTREPRENEURIAL AND DIGITAL ECOSYSTEMS TO CONCEPTUALIZE THE DIGITAL ENTREPRENEURIAL ECOSYSTEM

Abstract

This study advances the conceptualization of the Digital Entrepreneurial Ecosystem (DEE) by systematically unifying insights from entrepreneurial and digital ecosystem literatures. Through a rigorous review and bibliometric analysis, it identifies the fragmented nature of existing scholarship and synthesizes key attributes, governance, actors, resources, and digital infrastructures that define DEEs as dynamic socio‑technical systems. Unlike traditional entrepreneurial ecosystems, DEEs dissolve locational barriers, enabling ventures to scale globally from inception while fostering distributed collaboration and sustainable innovation. The framework highlights how digital enablers such as platforms, boundary resources, and orchestration mechanisms reshape opportunity recognition, resource mobilization, and venture performance. It also underscores the broader socio‑economic significance of DEEs, linking them to Sustainable Development Goals including decent work, reduced inequalities, and sustainable cities. Theoretically, the study clarifies definitional ambiguities and extends ecosystem theory by embedding digital governance and sustainability into its core. Practically, it provides policymakers, entrepreneurs, and institutions with a blueprint for designing inclusive, resilient, and innovation‑driven ecosystems. Overall, the research positions DEEs not as peripheral extensions but as a central paradigm in contemporary entrepreneurship, offering both conceptual clarity and actionable guidance for shaping entrepreneurial futures in the digital age.