Power plays: Surfacing the hidden currents in entrepreneurial ecosystems

Entrepreneurial ecosystem (EE) research has flourished, yet it continues to overlook how power shapes who can mobilize resources, legitimacy, and opportunity within these systems. This paper reframes power as a constitutive, and not incidental, dimension of ecosystem functioning. Integrating insights from Pfeffer's resource-dependence theory with Foucault's and Bourdieu's social perspectives, we develop a Power-Sensitive Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Framework (PSEEF) that conceptualises power across micro (entrepreneurial identity), meso (network structures), and macro (institutional governance) levels. Our key insight is that power dynamics are the hidden mechanisms through which EEs determine who gains visibility and support, and whose ventures remain peripheral. Recognising these mechanisms enables scholars and practitioners to understand ecosystems not merely as collections of resources but as evolving arenas of legitimacy and control. The framework provides actionable tools for ecosystem leaders to diagnose and rebalance inequalities, advancing both the analytical and practical agenda for inclusive and high-performing EEs. • Introduces the Power-Sensitive Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Framework (PSEEF). • Shows how power and resource dependence shape ecosystem structure and function. • Links entrepreneurial identity, networks, and governance through multi-level analysis. • Provides actionable guidance for entrepreneurs, policymakers and ecosystem builders to rebalance power.