Local entrepreneurial ecosystems as configural narratives: A new way of seeing and evaluating antecedents and outcomes

•We propose a new evaluative approach that draws on sociology of place to delineate local entrepreneurial ecosystems as configural narratives.•We implement the new approach using configurational comparative methods.•Analysis reveals a complex picture with three distinct types of local entrepreneurial ecosystems: Active self-propelled, Indulged and Passive self-absorbed.•We expand theory on the socio-spatial mechanisms through which ecosystems enable and influence new firms. This paper develops and applies a new evaluative approach to local entrepreneuriale cosystems, as configural narratives. We examine how configurations of local entrepreneurial ecosystem attributes, as evaluated by local experts, support or hinder the emergence of new and innovative firms. Drawing on sociology of place, we present a novel configurational comparative analysis of local experts' evaluation of their ecosystems in Chile. Our proposed approach to entrepreneurial ecosystems helps us uncover two counterintuitive findings and so elaborateon interferences that have not yet been addressed through conventional concepts, methods and data. First, we reveal three distinct ecosystem types explaining different local levels of new firm activity: Active self-propelled, Indulged and Passive self-absorbed. The internal composition of these types change when only innovative and high growth firms are taken into consideration. Second, we show why, when seen as configural narratives, ecosystem attributes that have been assumed necessary play only a peripheral role. Our study demonstrates a split picture against seemingly similar outcomes and homogenous local contexts, contributing to the advancement of entrepreneurial ecosystem theory, observation and assessment.