Elisabeth S.C. Berger

Is Qualitative Comparative Analysis an Emerging Method?—Structured Literature Review and Bibliometric Analysis of QCA Applications in Business and Management Research

Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) is a powerful method originating in the fields of political science and sociology, where it is becoming a mainstream method. This article analyzes the state of QCA applications in business and management (B&M) research by conducting a structured literature review, which results in the identification of 96 studies between 1995 and 2015. Additionally, the knowledge basis of those articles is analyzed by means of a citations analysis. The 5,141 unique citations serve to also structure the research front using a bibliometric coupling analysis. The results point towards a somewhat deferred development of QCA in the discipline, which has recently undergone a quantum leap with regard to the number of publications as well as the advance of the method application. The current development is strongly determined by the originator of the method, Charles Ragin, and by the first studies applying QCA in business and management. Yet, the research front is only loosely connected, underlining that QCA remains at an early stage of adoption in business and management. The chapter gives three recommendations for future QCA studies and predicts a progressing profile formation of QCA in business and management research that can contribute to the adoption of configurational thinking within the discipline.

The Challenge of Dealing with Complexity in Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Technology Research: An Introduction

Complex systems seem to be all around us and the world, economies and businesses apparently become more complex every day. This is especially true for phenomena in entrepreneurship, innovation and technology research. This introductory chapter elaborates our understanding of complexity and explores the interdependencies in entrepreneurship, innovation and technology research with regard to complexity. When studying complexity it is essential to apply research methods that consider the non-linearity, dynamics and interrelatedness inherent in complexity. However, appropriate methods are frequently neglected or not yet established among the plethora of available research methods. This volume adds to the visibility of the application of emergent and neglected methods in the context of complexity in entrepreneurship, innovation and technology research. Finally, the chapter provides an overview of the contributions in this book.

Raising the level of female entrepreneurship in startup ecosystems

Startup ecosystems receive attention both from academics and politicians due to their positive impact on the creation of new businesses and the entire economy. However, while entrepreneurial ecosys...

The Impact of Economic Freedom on Entrepreneurial Activity - A Configurational Analysis

In this paper we provide an answer to the research question, how particular components of economic freedom (EF) need to be designed in order to most effectively allow for high levels of entrepreneu...