Impact Entrepreneurial Ecosystems in the Global South: A Case Study on Institutional Work in the Kenyan Impact Entrepreneurial Ecosystem

Abstract

Impact entrepreneurial ecosystems play an essential role in addressing impact issues through fostering entrepreneurship. The present study aims to systematically examine the institutional work efforts taken by actors in a Global South impact entrepreneurial ecosystem. Therefore, a single case study was conducted in Kenya, gathering empirical data from 19 semi-structured interviews. An analysis rooted in Grounded Theory enabled the researchers to establish a taxonomy of five challenging areas for impact entrepreneurial ecosystems crossed with five types of institutional work efforts. To further generalize from the case insights, institutional theory and empirical literature on entrepreneurial ecosystems were discussed. The study finds that three of the five established institutional work areas align with the field, whereas the other two seem to be specific to the conditions of impact entrepreneurial ecosystems. These comprise research on conflicting institutional logics regarding funding from Global North and impact measurement. Given these insights, the study argues for the meaningfulness of further integrating the fields of institutional work and (impact) entrepreneurial ecosystems.