University spin-offs development in “star” and “weak” contexts. An analysis of meso and macro factors

The academic entrepreneurship phenomenon can differ significantly among areas, also in the same country. Several studies highlight that there are contexts which are more effective from this point of view while, on the other hand, there are contexts which are less efficient in fostering university spin-offs (USOs). The first contextual typology can be labelled “star”, the second “weak”. The paper aims to investigate, on a regional level, the USOs development– in terms of both performance and numerosity – in “star” and “weak” contexts over the Italian area using meso and macro factors. Following the RBW theory, the dynamic capabilities approach and the Knowledge Spillover Theory of Entrepreneurship, a sample of 405 USOs extracted from Netval database in 2013 has been analyzed and evaluated, as well as categorized, regarding 18 Italian administrative regions. The results show a greater USOs development in the "star" contexts, but at the same time the “star” contexts’ features are less related to the effectiveness of the spin-out processes than the “weak” contexts’. This is likely due to the effects of USOs’ micro determinants that make the “weak” contexts more dependent on meso and macro resources.