International Economy, Business Ecosystems, and Entrepreneurship: Implications for Sustainable Energy Development

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue aims to investigate how the evolving international economy, the dynamics of business ecosystems, and entrepreneurial transformations interrelate to shape sustainable energy development. While macrolevel shifts (e.g., changing international economic balances and global decarbonization pressures) set overarching conditions, the mesolevel of local and regional business ecosystems (including industries, clusters, and energy communities) and the microlevel of individual firms (entrepreneurial strategies, technological upgrades, and managerial processes) ultimately determine how sustainable transitions materialize. We welcome submissions that explore any dimension of this macro–meso–micro nexus—ranging from international economic analyses of energy security and regulatory frameworks to ecosystem-level collaborations to firm-level innovation and entrepreneurship. Through this breadth, we aim to uncover how stakeholders can more effectively integrate sustainability goals into practical energy solutions.

Previous research on sustainability in energy systems has predominantly focused on singular aspects, for example, macroeconomic analyses of energy markets or micro-oriented studies of eco-innovation within firms. This Special Issue will supplement the literature by taking a more holistic lens—integrating the international economy, business ecosystems, and entrepreneurship perspectives together. In doing so, it will shed new light on the ways that these levels interact to advance (or hinder) sustainable energy goals. We invite both conceptual and empirical contributions that reveal how these multi-layered relationships can be harnessed to produce more inclusive, resilient, and innovative energy futures.

We look forward to your submissions.

Dr. Dimos Chatzinikolaou
Dr. Renata Kubus
Guest Editors

Related Literature

Chatzinikolaou, D. (2025). Integrating Sustainable Energy Development with Energy Ecosystems: Trends and Future Prospects in Greece. Sustainability, 17(4), 1487. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17041487

Chatzinikolaou, D., & Vlados, Ch. (2024). International Political Economy, Business Ecosystems, Entrepreneurship, and Sustainability: A Synthesis on the Case of the Energy Sector. Sustainability, 16(22), Article 22. https://doi.org/10.3390/su162210092

Chatzinikolaou, D., & Vlados, Ch. (2025). Energy Entrepreneurship in the Emerging New Globalization: A Macro–Meso–Micro Perspective with Evidence from a Less-Developed Regional Ecosystem. Energies, 18(6), Article 6. https://doi.org/10.3390/en18061323

Dopfer, K., Foster, J., & Potts, J. (2004). Micro-meso-macro. Journal of Evolutionary Economics, 14(3), 263–279. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00191-004-0193-0

Gonzalez, S., Kubus, R., & Mascareñas, J. (2018). Innovation Ecosystems in the European Union: Towards a Theoretical Framework for their Structural Advancement Assessment. Croatian Yearbook of European Law and Policy, 14, 181–217. https://doi.org/10.3935/cyelp.14.2018.307

Graaf, T. van de, Ghosh, A., Sovacool, B. K., Klare, M. T., & Kern, F. (Eds.). (2016). The palgrave handbook of the international political economy of energy. Palgrave Macmillan.

Gunnarsdottir, I., Davidsdottir, B., Worrell, E., & Sigurgeirsdottir, S. (2021). Sustainable energy development: History of the concept and emerging themes. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 141, 110770. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2021.110770

Hellström, M., Tsvetkova, A., Gustafsson, M., & Wikström, K. (2015). Collaboration mechanisms for business models in distributed energy ecosystems. Journal of Cleaner Production, 102, 226–236. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2015.04.128

Kuzemko, C., Lawrence, A., & Watson, M. (2019). New directions in the international political economy of energy. Review of International Political Economy, 26(1), 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1080/09692290.2018.1553796

Newell, P. (2021). Power shift: The global political economy of energy transitions. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108966184

Smale, R., & Kloppenburg, S. (2020). Platforms in power: Householder perspectives on the social, environmental and economic challenges of energy platforms. Sustainability, 12(2). https://doi.org/10.3390/su12020692

Wüstenhagen, R., & Wuebker, R. (2011). The Handbook of Research on Energy Entrepreneurship. Edward Elgar Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4337/9780857931221

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• international economy
• business ecosystems
• entrepreneurship
• sustainable energy development
• macro–meso–micro perspective
• renewable energy
• energy transition
• innovation
• socioeconomic development