Digital entrepreneurship ecosystems in the Carpathian-Balkan region

Abstract

In our study, we examined the performance of digital entrepreneurship ecosystems in the countries of the Carpathian-Balkan macroregion. The comparison of digital entrepreneurship ecosystems in the fourteen countries was conducted based on the Global Index of Digital Entrepreneurship Systems (GIDES), a composite indicator developed on behalf of the Asian Development Bank. The primary strength of GIDES is its ability to evaluate the performance of national ecosystems by simultaneously considering both entrepreneurship and digitalization. GIDES allows for the easy identification of the strengths and weaknesses of digital entrepreneurship ecosystems at the national level. Additionally, using Qualitative Comparative Analysis, we identified which components of the digital entrepreneurship ecosystem are necessary, and which combinations of these components are sufficient for a high (above average) concentration of startup firms in the Carpathian-Balkan macroregion.