1. Entrepreneurial_Ecosystem.NL
Prof Dr Erik Stam
Utrecht University
“ENTREPRENEURIAL ECOSYSTEMS AND GROWTH-ORIENTED ENTREPRENEURSHIP”
International Workshop jointly organised by the OECD LEED Programme and
The Netherlands’ Ministry of Economic Affairs

2. Entrepreneurial_Ecosystem
Oh no, not the next Silicon Somewhere…

3. Entrepreneurial_Ecosystem
Reflects two shifts:
Societal: from Managed Economy to
Entrepreneurial Economy (Thurik, Stam &
Audretsch 2013)
Scientific: from Equilibrium Economics to
Complexity Economics (Beinhocker 2007)

4. Entrepreneurial_Ecosystem?
• Entrepreneurial: explore (identify) and exploit
(evaluate, pursue) opportunities for new value
creation

5. Entrepreneurial_Ecosystem?
• ECOsystem: ECOlogical (birds, bees, …)?;
Ecology of diverse, heterogenous agents;
ECOnomic
• EcoSYSTEM: Systemic

6. NL: Entrepreneurship Miracle or Paradox?
• Amazing growth of entrepreneurship in the
Netherlands, 1987-2012
• Miracle: no country in which the TEA rate has
grown as much as in the Netherlands over the
period 2003-2012 (and precourse of rising new
firm formation and self-employment)
• Paradox: increasingly a matter of growing
number of solo self-employed, and low/mediocre
rates of growth-oriented entrepreneurship

7. Entrepreneurship NL Facts - I

8. Entrepreneurship Facts - II
TEA Rate 2003-2012 (GEM)

9. Paraphrasing Einstein
• Not all entrepreneurship that counts can be
counted, and not all entrepreneurship that
can be counted counts.

10. Entrepreneurship Facts - III

11. Entrepreneurship Facts - IV

12. Entrepreneurship Facts - V

13. (Eco)systemic Causes & Consequences
• Positive feedback: virtuous circle (for self-employment!)
Changing
preferences
Changing
formal
institutions
Higher
entry
rates
Lower
entry
barriers
+ Context
+ Shocks

14. (Eco)systemic Causes & Consequences
• Negative/no feedback
– No build up of system for high-growth start-ups
(vicious circle high-growth start-up scandals early
2000s: Baan, World Online)
– No champion of intrapreneurship, like
Scandinavian countries (in spite of high levels of
trust and decentralized decision making)

15. Entrepreneurial_Ecosystem.NL
• One entrepreneurial system, or many (self-empl,
high-growth start-ups, intrapreneurship)?
• One national system, or many (reg, sec, corp)?
– Regional systems: e.g. Amsterdam, Eindhoven area,
Utrecht, Twente, …
– ‘Sectoral’ systems: e.g gaming, biotech,
(construction?)
– Corporate systems: intrapreneurship
• Systemic causes?
– Institutions, resources
• …

16. Entrepreneurial_Ecosystem.NL
Miracle and Paradox
Prof Dr Erik Stam
Utrecht University
“ENTREPRENEURIAL ECOSYSTEMS AND GROWTH-ORIENTED ENTREPRENEURSHIP”
International Workshop jointly organised by the OECD LEED Programme and
The Netherlands’ Ministry of Economic Affairs