Energy Transition, Human Resource Innovativeness and Institutional Quality as Determinants of Sustainable Entrepreneurship in Developing and Emerging Economies
This article develops a systemic analytical framework for examining sustainable entrepreneurship in developing and emerging economies by integrating insights from energy economics, human resource management, and institutional analysis. The study addresses a key limitation of existing research, namely the fragmentation of explanations that treat energy transition, organisational capability, institutional quality, and entrepreneurship as separate determinants of development. Drawing on a conceptual synthesis of these domains, the article argues that sustainable entrepreneurship should be understood as an emergent outcome of coherent interactions between structural, organisational, and institutional dimensions.
At the structural level, energy transition reshapes production possibilities, investment incentives, and long-term growth trajectories. At the organisational level, human resource innovativeness mediates the capacity of firms to adapt to technological and environmental change. At the institutional level, governance quality conditions trust, financial stability, and long-term orientation, thereby influencing the feasibility of innovation and entrepreneurial activity. Entrepreneurship is conceptualised as an integrative mechanism through which these dimensions are translated into concrete economic outcomes.
The analysis demonstrates that energy transition alone is insufficient to generate sustainable development unless supported by adaptive organisational capabilities and credible institutional environments. The findings highlight the recursive nature of interactions between energy systems, organisational learning, and institutional quality, offering a systemic explanation for divergent development trajectories observed across countries. The article contributes to the literature by advancing a non-linear, system-oriented perspective on sustainable entrepreneurship and by providing policy-relevant insights into the coordination of energy, human capital, and institutional reforms.
Keywords: sustainable entrepreneurship; energy transition; human resource innovativeness; institutional quality; developing economies; systemic development
