Entrepreneurship, Culture and the Knowledge Economy: A New Framework for a Systematic Literature Review Based on Bibliometric Methods

Abstract Entrepreneurship is recognized as a potent driver of economic and social progress, and positions entrepreneurs as strong catalysts for innovation. In turn, cultural dimensions (CD) significantly influence entrepreneurial activity (EA). However, the link between entrepreneurship and culture remains largely understudied, particularly in the context of a rapidly changing knowledge economy. So, the links between CD and EA in a new landscape where the role of knowledge increases through creation and dissemination, need to be approached more thoroughly, and we advance a framework with that objective. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the relationship between culture and EA in a new setting, through a framework with three components where space and time criteria make difference: macro-level (national values); meso-level (intra-national); and temporal level (historical persistence and change). Subsequently, we conduct a systematic literature review (SLR) using bibliometric methods for which we identified articles from EBSCO, Web of Science, and Scopus databases, which were pertinent for mapping the current research on the subject, highlighting the main contributors, dominant thematic areas and emerging trends. The main clusters of the relevant literature were identified in light of the components of the framework, allowing to assess their relative influence. The empirical evidence also demonstrates the growing academic interest in the relationship between CD and EA in the new context, and research on the subject is currently the stage of heated debates, particularly on the basis of the underlying explanations. On the whole, the study shows the relevance of culture and EA emphasizing their role in the knowledge economy and its spillovers, for example with regard to information technology and skilled workforce dimensions. Moreover, it is also suggested that policymakers and entrepreneurship educators should integrate CD into their outlines and curricula to better adapt the entrepreneurial ecosystems to the changing and disruptive contexts like those that have characterized the first decades of 21st century.