Research on Corporate Entrepreneurship in Developing Countries: A Review and Agenda for Future Directions

The majority of research on corporate entrepreneurship focuses on developed countries and overlooks that various cultural and economic contexts may lead to different intensities and behaviors in entrepreneurial activities. This omission could challenge extant theoretical models and assumptions. Accordingly, this article intends to analyze the literature on corporate entrepreneurship in developing countries. The paper adopts a two-step research approach, a systematic literature review, and a bibliometric (co-word analysis) analysis of 85 articles published between 1999 and 2021. We identify the major articles, journals, and scholars that made significant contributions to the field within the context by summarizing and describing indicators, such as number of publications, citations, theoretical and methodological perspectives, topic trends, and thematic maps. Analysis enables the study to establish that research on corporate entrepreneurship in developing countries comprises three major thematic classifications, namely, determinants and effects of corporate entrepreneurship; determinants of intrapreneurship and performance, and dynamic capabilities and corporate entrepreneurship. In summary, this article contributes to an enhanced understanding of the concepts and dimensions of corporate entrepreneurship within developing countries. In addition, it provides a research agenda; hence, we propose future directions that shape the dynamics of the field and that provide relevant insights for researchers and managers interested in corporate entrepreneurship in the context of developing countries.