This special issue is linked to the 11th International Conference on Strategic Management in Latin America (SMLA 2026), to be held on 3–4 December 2026 at the Universidad de los Andes School of Management in Bogota, Colombia. As with previous editions of this conference series, authors need not have presented at SMLA 2026 to submit. The issue examines how strategic management interacts with the institutional architecture of entrepreneurial ecosystems in Latin America. By concentrating on high-impact ventures and the constituents that compose their surrounding ecosystems (i.e. capital, talent, norms, and policy), it offers context-specific evidence of how strategic choices made under conditions of volatility and institutional voids (Mair & Martí, 2009; Schmutzler et al., 2019) generate feedback effects that reshape the ecosystems in which these ventures operate. Expected contributions include comparative metrics of entrepreneurial output, comparative case studies of venture-scaling strategies, and policy-relevant frameworks for evaluating institutional interventions.
Timing is supported by converging empirical and theoretical trends. Much of the extant strategy and entrepreneurship literature remains Global North-centric (Bruton et al., 2008); regional data show rapid digital adoption alongside persistent inequality and informality (ECLAC, 2024); and recent shocks such as the coronavirus pandemic, supply-chain disruptions, climate-related events, and migration have exposed the fragility of entrepreneurial ecosystems (Andonova & Pérez, 2024; Zapata-Cantu & González, 2021). Policymakers are experimenting with regulatory sandboxes and targeted industrial policies, yet rigorous, context-adapted evaluations remain scarce.
Findings are expected to inform several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: SDG 8 (decent work and economic growth), SDG 9 (industry, innovation and infrastructure), SDG 1 and SDG 10 (poverty reduction and reduced inequalities), and SDG 17 (partnerships), through evidence-based guidance for managers and policymakers pursuing inclusive, resilient entrepreneurship in the region.
Submissions should speak to European Business Review’s core disciplinary interests (i.e. strategy, entrepreneurship, international business, and governance) and may be conceptual, empirical (quantitative, qualitative, or mixed-method), or literature reviews, consistent with EBR’s editorial policy and double-blind peer-review process.
List of topic areas
How institutional architectures (i.e. capital, talent, norms, and policy) shape the emergence and strategic behavior of high-impact ventures in Latin America.
How new ventures and corporate startups formulate and execute scaling strategies under institutional voids, resource constraints, and macroeconomic volatility.
How comparative metrics and methodologies that account for informality, inequality, and rapid digitalization can be developed and validated for entrepreneurship research in the Global South.
How entrepreneurial ecosystem intermediaries (e.g., accelerators, incubators, venture capital firms, and entrepreneurship support organizations) function and evolve in Latin American contexts.
How public policy instruments, governance structures, and regulatory experimentation (e.g., regulatory sandboxes, targeted industrial policy) affect entrepreneurial ecosystems in the region.
How feedback effects between firm-level strategic choices and institutional change reshape entrepreneurial ecosystems over time.
Submissions information
Submissions are made using ScholarOne Manuscripts. Registration and access are available at: https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/ebrev
Author guidelines must be strictly followed. Please see: https://www.emerald.com/ebr
Authors should select (from the drop-down menu) the special issue title at the appropriate step in the submission process, i.e. in response to “Please select the issue you are submitting to”.
Submitted articles must not have been previously published, nor should they be under consideration for publication anywhere else, while under review for this journal.
Journal Information: Scopus Journal Q1, H-Index 65
Key deadlines
Opening date for manuscripts submissions: 01/01/2027
Closing date for manuscripts submission: 01/03/2027
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