Governing Urban Social Entrepreneurship Ecosystems for Public Value Creation: A Conceptual Model and the Role of Sixth Period Urban Management

The increasing complexity of urban social challenges and the limitations of traditional urban management approaches have emphasized the need for network-based and participatory governance models. The urban social entrepreneurship ecosystem provides a framework for integrating institutional, social, and entrepreneurial capacities to address public challenges and create social value. However, existing entrepreneurial ecosystem literature has predominantly focused on economic growth and business performance, with limited attention to governance mechanisms and public value creation in urban contexts. This study develops aconceptual model for governing urban social entrepreneurship ecosystems and examines the role of urban management, particularly within the policy orientations of the sixth period of Islamic City Councils, in shaping and guiding this ecosystem. Using a qualitative approach, the study applies thematic analysis to scientific documents in the fields of entrepreneurial ecosystems, social entrepreneurship, and urban governance based on Clarke’s method. The findings identify six core components: facilitating urban governance, actor networks, enabling capabilities, social capital, supportive infrastructure, and public value creation outcomes. The results demonstrate that urban management acts as an institutional architect by facilitating collaboration, strengthening stakeholder engagement.