Field Structuration Around New Issues: Clean Energy Entrepreneurialism in Emerging Economies

Abstract

This research contributes to the literature on emerging industries by examining how an organizational field takes form as a new entrepreneurial venture arises and is legitimized. Clean energy firms face unprecedented challenges, arising in emerging economies where energy infrastructure is inadequate or non-existent. These are local contexts where there are no preexisting related industries, yet the intent is to diffuse renewable energy widely to an extent that it could spur broader local economic development.This research proposes that in the absence of legitimacy-building mimetic, normative and regulative mechanisms, unique types of endorsements legitimize and enable new firms in nascent industries.