Research on the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Algeria has expanded significantly, yet a critical synthesis of methodological challenges and future research trajectories is lacking. This commentary addresses this gap by analysing the evolution of scholarly work in this domain. This commentary aims to critically evaluate the methodological approaches and conceptual frameworks used in Algerian entrepreneurship research, identifying persistent limitations and proposing a structured agenda for future inquiry to enhance rigour and relevance. The analysis employs a structured narrative review and critical commentary on a corpus of published studies, examining their research designs, theoretical foundations, and analytical depth. A dominant theme is the over-reliance on descriptive, cross-sectional surveys, with approximately 70% of reviewed studies failing to employ longitudinal or mixed-methods designs. This limits causal inference and understanding of ecosystem dynamics over time. While the field has matured in volume, it requires a substantive shift towards more sophisticated, theory-driven methodologies to generate actionable knowledge for policymakers and support organisations. Future research should prioritise longitudinal studies, integrate institutional theory more robustly, and develop context-specific metrics for measuring entrepreneurial success beyond financial indicators. entrepreneurship research, methodological rigour, ecosystem analysis, research agenda, North Africa This paper provides a novel, critical framework for categorising methodological shortcomings and introduces a prioritised research agenda to advance the study of entrepreneurial ecosystems in similar contexts.
Ould-Mohamed et al. (Sun,) studied this question.