EURO 2024 Copenhagen
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1490. Are digital entrepreneurial ecosystems resilient to external perturbations? A pre- and post-pandemic empirical analysis

Invited abstract in session WD-63: Complexity and Financial Patterns, stream OR in Banking, Finance and Insurance: New Tools for Risk Management.

Wednesday, 14:30-16:00
Room: S14 (building: 101)

Authors (first author is the speaker)

1. Antonio Iovanella
Department of Humanistic and International Social Sciences, Università degli Studi Internazionali di Roma - UNINT

Abstract

The complexity of the innovation and entrepreneurship process calls for ever-increasing connectivity. As a result, scholars have begun to focus more on entrepreneurial ecosystems (EE), which emphasise the interconnection of every player in this process. In this vein, external collaborations have been encouraged by the development of digital technology in response to COVID-19. At the same time, the pandemic has posed challenges to the resilience of EE, and the digital dimension may foster resilience from this perspective.
In this paper, we use complexity theory and Social Network Analysis to investigate how resilient a digital EE of European startups is to external perturbations both before and after the pandemic. By doing this, we help to clarify the relationship between digital platforms and EE as well as their role in enhancing resilience.
Our results show a higher level of robustness to random node removal. Nevertheless, there have been shifts in the paths connecting members as startups diversified their interests across sectors and countries. The new configuration facilitates the shock propagation within the network, leaving room for designing targeted policies and managerial practices to increase the ecosystem resilience. The network's ability to propagate shocks is facilitated by the new arrangement, leaving room for the development of focused policies and managerial techniques that strengthen the resilience of the ecosystem.

Keywords

Status: accepted

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