We use the entrepreneurial ecosystem perspective to study political entrepreneurship as a form of alignment between disruptive and unproductive entrepreneurs with authorities aiming to get privileged access to resources. Political entrepreneurship (PE) has emerged as a phenomenon in transition and developing economies and may compromise the entrepreneurial ecosystem (EE) objectives. Combining interview and survey data, this study provides an in-depth assessment of entrepreneurial ecosystems in a transition economy and the role that political entrepreneurs play in moderating the effect of resources on the quality of entrepreneurship. Our findings are generalizable to other transition and developing economies as we demonstrate what various configurations of factors increase stakeholders’ perception about EE and directly affect its quality. Our findings reveal that stakeholders appreciate the evolution trends towards mature and productive entrepreneurship, but the progress is slow, nonlinear, with setbacks, still seriously threatened by corruption, lack of competence, and the interference of the political factor as well as regional differences. This study offers implications on how to adopt a place-based and holistic approach to institutional reforms when policymakers aim at creating productive entrepreneurial ecosystems. This study implications are in the adoption of a place-based and holistic approach to institutional reforms when policymakers aim at creating productive entrepreneurial ecosystems. While political entrepreneurship may significantly distort an ecosystem, this study offers recommendations to managers and policymakers who plan to start a business in an environment with weak institutions and the rule of law.

我们使用企业家生态系统的观点来研究政治企业家精神，将其作为破坏性和非生产性企业家之间结盟的一种形式，其权威旨在获得特权地获取资源。政治企业家精神（PE）已成为转型经济体和发展中经济体中的一种现象，并可能损害企业家生态系统（EE）的目标。结合访谈和调查数据，本研究提供了对转型经济中企业家生态系统的深入评估，以及政治企业家在调节资源对企业家素质的影响中所发挥的作用。我们的发现可以推广到其他转型经济体和发展中经济体，因为我们证明了各种因素的配置会增加利益相关者对EE的认识并直接影响其质量。我们的发现表明，利益相关者赞赏朝着成熟和生产型企业家精神的发展趋势，但是进展缓慢，非线性，受挫，仍然受到腐败，缺乏能力，政治因素的干预以及地区差异的严重威胁。这项研究为政策制定者旨在创建生产型企业家生态系统时如何采用基于场所的整体方法进行制度改革提供了启示。该研究的意义在于，当政策制定者旨在创建生产型企业家生态系统时，采用基于场所的整体方法进行机构改革。政治企业家精神可能会严重扭曲生态系统，