Review and prospects of rural entrepreneurship research: based on complex adaptive systems theory perspective

Abstract

Purpose This study aims to systematically reveal the core mechanisms of dynamic adaptation and coevolution among the four-dimensional elements – institutions, culture, resources and technology – within the rural entrepreneurial ecosystem, based on complex adaptive systems (CAS) theory. Design/methodology/approach This study uses the Bibliometric-Systematic Literature Review (B-SLR) framework, integrating the coding logic of grounded theory to systematically synthesize literature retrieval and thematic analysis. Findings The study finds that – (1) The institutional opportunity window originates from structural loosening triggered by policy shifts. Its opening and closing efficacy is significantly dynamically moderated by the cultural genes of rural society; (2) Entrepreneurial bricolage, as the core adaptive mechanism, manifests through a triple pathway: institutional bricolage, network bricolage and technological bricolage. Its efficacy is constrained by dual contexts: institutional constraints and cultural constraints; (3) Digital technology significantly enhances the efficiency and scope of resource recombination through “digital bricolage,” while simultaneously reshaping cultural cognition and compelling institutional responses; (4) Rural entrepreneurial outcomes exhibit multidimensional differentiation across economic resilience, social capital and environmental performance; (5) Rural digital transformation faces structural challenges including the digital divide, literacy barriers, compounding resource inequality and insufficient institutional adaptability;(6) The four-dimensional elements (institutions-culture-resources-technology) drive differentiation in entrepreneurial outcomes and system-level emergence through nonlinear interactions. Acting as a key “adaptive medium,” digital technology amplifies institutional dividends, mitigates cultural resistance, enhances bricolage efficacy and propels the system toward a higher-order complex steady state through coevolution. Research limitations/implications The study lacks fine-grained, diachronic tracking of the adaptive cognition iteration, strategy adjustment behaviors and learning-feedback mechanisms of micro-level entrepreneurial agents. Practical implications The findings provide CAS-based governance insights for policymakers: the need to establish culturally sensitive policy evaluation mechanisms and implement flexible institutional design, while promoting the integration of digital technology empowerment and embeddedness in local social networks. Originality/value This study originally constructs the “Institutions-Culture-Resources-Technology” four-dimensional nonlinear dynamic interaction model, which transcends traditional unidimensional analytical paradigms.

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