Incubators, accelerators and urban economic development

Madaleno, Margarida, Nathan, Max, Overman, Henry G. ORCID: 0000-0002-3525-7629 and Waights, Sevrin (2022) Incubators, accelerators and urban economic development. Urban Studies, 59 (2). 281 - 300. ISSN 0042-0980

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Abstract

We combine theory and evidence on incubator and accelerator programmes, and their effects on urban economic development. These structured co-working programmes have grown rapidly. However, a rich descriptive literature reveals little about their impact on participants or surrounding urban areas. We situate programmes in a conceptual framework of co-location tools, theorise objectives and benefits, and report findings from systematic, OECD-wide reviews of the evaluation literature. These evaluations provide evidence that accelerators and incubators raise participant employment, with accelerators also aiding access to finance. Ecosystem features such as university involvement and urban economic conditions also influence programme outcomes. However, evaluation evidence is less clear on detailed intervention design. We consider wider lessons and lay out an agenda for future research.

Item Type:	Article
Official URL:	https://journals.sagepub.com/home/usj
Additional Information:	© 2021 The Authors
Divisions:	Geography & Environment
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HT Communities. Classes. Races H Social Sciences > HC Economic History and Conditions
Date Deposited:	25 Jan 2021 16:42
Last Modified:	12 Dec 2024 02:26
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/108550

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