Envisioning an entrepreneurial ecosystem as part of the sustainable development of a rural community: Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma.

Abstract

The dissertation topic was partly inspired by my interest in sustainable community development, which requires social, economic and environmental change to transform underdeveloped rural communities. The emergent concept of “entrepreneurial ecosystems” aims to create certain conditions within a specified region to attract new entrepreneurs who would eventually start new companies and encourage economic development in the region. Such incubatory conditions are created by bringing specific institutions and businesses to the chosen area to complement existing resources, structures and institutions. I envisioned the best way to do this; is to create an entrepreneurial ecosystem to foster sustainable entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship in the local community. The model SCEED - Sustainable Community Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Development, is a conceptual model I hypothesize as a potential road map for developing underdeveloped communities. This model prioritizes entrepreneurship to meet a community’s basic needs before moving on to entrepreneurial ventures that meet higher-order needs based on Maslow’s needs theory. To explore this, I look at the Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma, a Native American community that is rural and underdeveloped with poverty and unemployment levels above the United States average. Although sustainable development has been suggested for indigenous communities, an entrepreneurial ecosystems approach at the community scale has not been explored for native communities. This research inquiry uses a qualitative methodology and emergent flexible design to explore and answer research questions. The results present a final model that will be a catalyst for rural communities to foster entrepreneurship and sustainable development.