Entrepreneurship and Perceived Quality of Life at Urban Level: Smart Cities as Larva, Bees, Butterflies and Flowered Gardens

This study aims to investigate the relationship between entrepreneurship and the perceived quality of life in European smart cities. The research uses objective and subjective variables, respectively, to analyze the relationships between entrepreneurial performance and the dimensions of the quality of life, interpreted in terms of smart city’s dimensions. On the basis of the quality of life survey by Eurostat, we measure the perceived quality of life for a sample of 43 cities. We conduct a cluster analysis and adopt a non-aggregative quantitative approach based on the theory of the partially ordered set in order to find evidence that smart cities must develop drivers for the quality of life in order to attract and retain entrepreneurial activities. Specifically, we highlight that the perceived quality of life sustains entrepreneurship in the long-term. We suggest the governments of smart cities to focus on creating a conducive environment for entrepreneurship, encouraging and promoting interventions for improving citizens’ quality of life. The findings add to the body of knowledge in the entrepreneurship literature and provide implications for how managers and policymakers can enhance the attractiveness of the entrepreneurial environment.