Innovative Entrepreneurship as Policy Concern: Geography, Evolution and Antecedents of Policy Mixes

Innovation policies affect the costs of entrepreneurial individuals combining and adapting heterogenous resources in the pursuit of profit. Yet, while studies of the effects of select policies in support of innovative entrepreneurship proliferate, little is known about the combinations of different policies in support of innovative entrepreneurship usually at play in a country. Moreover, what leads policymakers to focus their attention on select types of these policies remains unconsidered. In this paper, we map policy mixes for innovative entrepreneurship and study their variation in relation to entrepreneurial activity. We find that relative to other policies in support of innovation, innovative entrepreneurship policies tend to receive more attention in Europe than in the US. We also find that both innovative entrepreneurial activity and technological entrepreneurial activity are associated with select elements in policy mixes for innovative entrepreneurship. We contribute to the literature on entrepreneurship policy by introducing a “mix perspective” and providing evidence on possible antecedents of entrepreneurship policy choices. We also contribute to the literature on entrepreneurial ecosystems by illuminating the role of policy as a contextual factor for innovative entrepreneurship.