Entrepreneurial thinking: the politics and practice of policy impact

Background:

This comment piece responds to points raised by Steve Johnson in ‘The policy impact of entrepreneurship research: challenging received wisdom’ (Johnson, 2022).

Aims and objectives:

To build upon the intellectual foundations that Johnson has provided so expertly and to continue the debate through a focus on two issues – problem definition, and the need for continuing criticality.

Methods:

Commentary.

Findings:

Johnson stimulates a debate not just about the past, present and future of entrepreneurship research but about the science-society nexus more generally.

Discussion and conclusion:

Taken together, the issues of problem definition, and the need for continuing criticality, highlight ‘the politics of policy impact’ and have direct implications for how academics, in general, and entrepreneurship researchers, in particular, face the emerging research, innovation and development ecosystem.