4th Regional Helix | Porto, 2019- Book of Abstracts

Regional Entrepreneurial Ecosystems and Sustainability – Rethinking the Helix In an increasingly global and feverish economy, regional cartography is not always sufficiently documented and discussed. At the same time, the narrative “trial-mistake” is often discouraged, considering that when success emerges one should hide hypothetical errors. In a scenario, in which the new industry paradigms and value-adding processes require a critical reflection on the sustainability of entrepreneurial ecosystems and on the relations between firms, governments, society and the processes of knowledge creation emerges the 4th International congress of Regional Helix, under the topic "Regional Entrepreneurial Ecosystems and Sustainability - Rethinking the Helix". Since its creation, the Regional Helix conference emphasizes the importance of cooperation and this edition is no exception and it results from a joint organization between the School of Technology and Management of the Polytechnic of Porto, through its research center (CIICESI), of the Polytechnic Institute of Castelo Branco, NECE (research center of the Department of Economics and Management of the University of Beira Interior) and University of Trás os Montes and Alto Douro. The participation of several researchers from national and international institutions is an important step in the achievement of these aims. We are pleased to welcome colleagues from countries across the globe. We believe that this multiplicity reflects the interest that regional entrepreneurial ecosystems and sustainability issues have transversely across the world. Finally, we would like to call your attention to the several publication opportunities that Regional Helix 2019 bring to you, and we invite all colleagues to submit their papers for the publications that better fit their research.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Theorizing the Triple Helix model: Past, present, and future

The Triple Helix of university-industry-government interactions, highlighting the enhanced role of the university in the transition from industrial to knowledge-based society, has become widespread in innovation and entrepreneurship studies. We analyze classic literature and recent research, shedding light on the theoretical development of a model that has engendered controversy for being simultaneously analytical and normative, theoretical, practical and policy-relevant. We identify lacunae and suggest future analytical trajectories for theoretical development of the Triple Helix model. The explanatory power of Triple Helix has been strengthened by integrating various social science concepts, e.g. Simmel’s triad, Schumpeter’s organizational entrepreneur, institutional logics and social networks, into its framework. As scholars and practitioners from various disciplinary and inter-disciplinary research fields, e.g. artificial intelligence, political theory, sociology, professional ethics, higher education, regional geography and organizational behavior join Triple Helix studies or find their perspectives integrated, new directions appear for Triple Helix research.publishedVersionPeer reviewe

How Does Convergence Influence Cluster-Based Economic Growth in Regions?

This thesis is a novel study examining the influence of convergenceon cluster-based economicgrowth in regions. The goal of which isto provide exploratory insights frombothnational and international perspectives. This research study examines the relevant literature in thefieldsof convergence,clusters,and regions. It thenadoptsideologies from the most salient studies,to create a conceptual framework. There is limitedextantliterature currently available on the connection between convergence, cluster-based economicgrowth,and regions. AnOECD (2011) report identified the importance of regions as they are themost effective place to make economic decisions. The convergence approachof moving towards equality, bottom-up growth,and co-opetition can be regarded as being imperative to the successful augmentation of a region. This research used a qualitative method (Bryman and Bell, 2015) with 30 semi-structured interviews. The rationale behind the use of a qualitative methodology (Fidel, 2008),is the limitedliteratureavailableon convergence.Therefore, in order tounderstand how convergenceinfluences cluster-based economic growth in regions, it is essential to conductaqualitativestudy andanalysis (Rocha, 2004)

Unleashing Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Europe: People, Places and Policies. Report of a CEPS Task Force February 2017

This report sets out the elements for the design of a streamlined and future-proof policy on innovation and entrepreneurship in Europe. It is the result of a collective effort led by CEPS, which formed a Task Force on Innovation and Entrepreneurship in the EU, composed of authoritative scholars, industry experts, entrepreneurs, practitioners and representatives of EU and international institutions. The result of these deliberations is a set of policy recommendations aimed at improving the overall environment and approach for entrepreneurship and innovation in Europe and a new paradigmatic understanding of the role that innovation and entrepreneurship can and should play within the overall context of EU policy. These recommendations are based on a new, multi-dimensional approach to both innovation and entrepreneurship as social phenomena and to the policies that are meant to promote them

Egypt: a fluid institutional affair - an institutional theory interrogation of the Egyptian business services sector: the triad relationship of institutions, entrepreneurship and institutional intermediaries

This research is set out to examine the interrelation between high-growth entrepreneurship and institutions in Egypt. A triad relationship was identified among high-growth firms, formal institutions, and institutional intermediaries (hereafter II). Firstly, a set of institutional voids were examined on regulative, normative, and cultural aspects. The examined voids preclude entrepreneurship from achieving its full potential amid a challenging institutional framework. This gave rise to informal institutions and different forms of response behaviours while the institutional framework adjusts itself. Entrepreneurs in the meantime had to make do with what’s possible to capitalise on newly emerged market gaps following 2011. As such both market and political entrepreneurs exploited various forms of informal institutions resulting in both productive and unproductive forms of entrepreneurship. Secondly, IIs emerged as important players in the Egyptian institutional framework. This exploratory research identified five types of institutional intermediaries: user, process, regime-based, systemic, and niche. The IIs conduct an interchangeable variety of activities including institutional support, demand articulation, capacity building and knowledge brokering. The role of political economy particularly emerges when the Egyptian institutions are examined up close, especially as IIs play such salient roles. Here, the political economy interacts with the economy at large, and entrepreneurship in particular in three ways: First, the 2016 economic reform program should be questioned. Albeit positive reviews by the IMF (systemic II), and observable leaps for the economy, the Egyptian political power is still owned by an unaccountable few. A political few which are not subject to auditing, answerability, nor are they publicly voted in (or out). Secondly, Egypt has been all but receiving less development aid and concessional funding. Albeit rising voices against human rights violation and draconian crackdown on opposition, programs to promote entrepreneurship, develop technical and vocational education, female-led businesses and the like (systemic and process IIs), cannot fix the flawed institutions at their core. Thirdly, and perhaps most important, the involvement of the Egyptian military in the economy, at best as a monitoring authority, and at worst as a large market player, has been greatly disrupting the economy. State-owned and army-affiliated firms provide the market with much-needed merchandise that is both cheap and fast. This activity crowds out private investors, big and small, unless, of course, they join the military-affiliated businesses, thus exacerbating the already challenging problems of cronyism and clientelism. Finally, amid the rapid institutional changes, the Egyptian government, IIs and high-growth firms have been manifesting patterns of institutional entrepreneurship. In this sense, they do not simply react to the changes occurring in their environment. Rather, they display a variety of entrepreneurial behaviours, and rely on their good judgement to shape the institutions around them. Through collective institutional entrepreneurship market and political entrepreneurs pool their skills, resources, and power together to challenge their surrounding institutions. However, as the political economy of Egypt introduces an extra set of complications, informal institutions will remain stronger than formal ones, giving rise to evasive behaviour and unproductive entrepreneurship. Hence, institutional and regime uncertainty will deepen, and the Egyptian institutions will remain in a constant state of flux, i.e. fluidity. Accordingly, market and political entrepreneurs will keep adapting to the fluid institutions until either side subsides. Hopefully, this will not be the entrepreneurs