Collaborative governance of entrepreneurial ecosystems: The role of community organising in facilitating migrant entrepreneur inclusion in decision-making

About the Project

Project Details

Entrepreneurial ecosystems are widely promoted as collaborative systems that support regional economic growth. Yet growing evidence shows they often exclude those with the least institutional power. Migrant entrepreneurs in particular remain structurally disconnected from formal governance and support systems. This PhD tackles a central unanswered question: how do entrepreneurs without established legitimacy, networks, or political voice gain influence within entrepreneurial ecosystem governance? The project investigates community organising (CO) as a practical and underexplored pathway to inclusion. Through collective action, leadership development, and strategic engagement with policymakers, CO may enable marginalised entrepreneurs to shape how ecosystems function. The empirical case is the Business Leaders Group (BLG), a community organising initiative led by Citizens UK Birmingham. Since 2020, BLG has brought migrant entrepreneurs into direct engagement with local policymakers to influence business support provision. BLG offers a rare opportunity to examine how collective action translates into governance influence. The project will generate new insights into:

• How migrant entrepreneurs build collective voice and participatory capacity
• The mechanisms linking community organising to policy influence
• The conditions under which more inclusive ecosystem governance emerges

The research directly aligns with UK and regional priorities on inclusive growth and support for the everyday economy. It also responds to a growing academic challenge: understanding whose interests entrepreneurial ecosystems serve and how they can be made more equitable in practice. We are looking for a highly motivated candidate with a background in entrepreneurship, business management, sociology, migration, inequality, policy and governance, or a related field. The project is particularly suited to applicants interested in qualitative, engaged, or community-based research.

The project builds on a strong partnership between the Centre for Research in Ethnic Minority Entrepreneurship (CREME) at Aston University and Citizens UK Birmingham, offering access to an established research base, engaged stakeholders, and a live policy-relevant case.

Person Specification

The successful applicant should hold, or expect to achieve:

A First or Upper Second Class Honours undergraduate degree, and a Masters degree with Merit or Distinction, both in relevant subjects.

Qualifications from overseas institutions will be considered, but performance must be equivalent to that described above, and the University reserves the right to ascertain this equivalence according to its own criteria.

Desirable / Essential Skills or Experience

Required characteristics

To be eligible for a fee waiver application, they must demonstrate strong academic achievement and research potential, specifically:

• A master’s degree in business, management, social sciences, or a related discipline, with an overall distinction, including a dissertation/research element; and
• A First or Upper Second-Class Honours degree (or equivalent qualification from an overseas institution).

Desirable characteristics

Additional factors that may be considered include:

• Distinction in the MSc or BSc dissertation.
• Evidence of research experience (e.g. publications, research assistantships, etc.).
• Professional experience relevant to the proposed research.

Submitting an application

We can only consider applications that are complete and have all supporting documents. Applications that do not provide all the relevant documents will be automatically rejected.Your application must include:

1. English language copies of the transcripts and certificates for all your higher education degrees, including any Bachelor degrees.
2. A Research Statement detailing your understanding of the research area, how you would approach the project, and a brief review of relevant literature. Be sure to use the title of the research project you are applying for. There is no set format or word count.
3. A personal statement which outlines any further information which you think is relevant to your application, such as your personal suitability for research, career aspirations, possible future research interests, and further description of relevant employment experience.
4. A Curriculum Vitae (Resume) which details your education and work history.
5. Two academic refereeswho can discuss your suitability for independent research. References must be on headed paper, signed and dated no more than 2 years old. At least one reference should be from your most recent University. You can submit your references at a later date if necessary.
6. Evidence that you meet the English Language requirements. If you do not currently meet the language requirements, you can submit this at a later stage.
7. A copy of your passport. Where relevant, include evidence of settled or pre-settled status.

Contact Information

For enquiries about this project, contact e.kasperova@aston.ac.uk

Location

This position will be based on the Aston Campus in Birmingham, UK. The successful candidate will need to be located within a reasonable distance of the campus, and will be expected to visit in person regularly.

Interviews

Interviews will be conducted online via Microsoft Teams. If you are shortlisted, you will be contacted directly with details of the interview.

Funding Notes

This project covers all tuition fees.

Please note that the successful candidate will be responsible for living expenses, and any costs relating to moving to Birmingham and/or visiting the Aston campus. International students must meet the financial requirements for the visa, flights, and NHS Surcharge. Applicants should be confident that they can meet these costs before applying.

Further information can be found here: Financial Requirements | Aston University