The Dynamics of Embeddedness on Sustainable Entrepreneurship Within Protected Areas: Bi-Directionality, Re-Embeddedness, and Dis-Embeddedness for Enhanced Sustainability Outcomes

Abstract

Our study explores how embeddedness influences the sustainability outcomes of entrepreneurship in a European protected area. Protected areas have distinct spatial and social characteristics, and we investigate how sustainable entrepreneurship interacts with these unique contexts. Guided by embeddedness theory, we examine how these dynamics shape entrepreneurial outcomes. Through an inductive, multi-case approach, we find that sustainable entrepreneurs in protected areas actively engage with their surroundings, connecting to both local ecology and communities. This engagement reveals a bi-directional relationship where entrepreneurs not only adapt to but also shape their context. Our findings show that various forms of embeddedness enable entrepreneurs to generate empathic, statutory, innovative, and radical sustainability outcomes, emphasizing the pivotal role of embeddedness in shaping entrepreneurship within protected areas.