Forging sustainable transitions: a systematic literature review on sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystems

Sustainable Entrepreneurial Ecosystems (SEEs) have gained increasing scholarly and policy attention as part of a global effort to advance sustainable development through entrepreneurship. Despite growing attention, this field is characterised by conceptual plurality and lacks theoretical integration regarding how ecosystems contribute to sustainable development. Therefore, this study aims to address this gap by examining how existing research conceptualises the relationship between sustainability and EEs and how these conceptualisations shape the emerging notion of SEEs. Accordingly, we ask: How does current literature conceptualise the relationship between sustainability and EEs? To answer this question, this study conducts a systematic literature review of 91 peer-reviewed studies published between 2006 and 2025 through the multi-level perspective from sustainability transition studies. The analysis identifies four research streams: (1) ecosystems for sustainable ventures, (2) sustainability orientation of ecosystems, (3) sustainable economic growth of EEs, and (4) EE for sustainable transitions. The review reveals conceptual ambiguity, methodological heterogeneity, and limited attention to multi-level dynamics. This study contributes by systematising fragmented insights, enhancing construct clarity, and proposing an integrative framework that bridges EE and sustainable transition theories, thereby providing a foundation for cumulative theorisation and guiding future research and policy on SEEs.