Objective: The literature on rural entrepreneurship indicates the existence of a complex and multi-layered relationship between spatial components and entrepreneurial processes. Accordingly, this study aims to identify the spatial processes influencing rural entrepreneurship development, with particular emphasis on extracting and analyzing established and emerging theoretical perspectives in this field.
Methods: The study is applied in terms of its objective and adopts a qualitative methodological approach based on a literature review and qualitative content analysis. The statistical population consisted of articles published in journals related to rural entrepreneurship and geography and indexed in reputable databases, including Scopus and Web of Science. Based on a review of the thematic literature and identification of the earliest relevant studies, the review period covered 2000 to November 2024, thereby encompassing both the initial studies in the field and the most recent scientific publications. Initially, 113 relevant articles were identified. Subsequently, irrelevant studies were excluded based on criteria including title, keywords, abstract, full-text accessibility, content analysis, and expert judgment. Ultimately, 38 English-language scientific articles were selected as the final sources for qualitative analysis. Data analysis was conducted using ATLAS.ti through three stages of coding: open, axial, and selective coding. In addition, to validate and enhance the credibility of the findings, the views of five subject-matter experts were incorporated into the coding process.
Results: The findings yielded 212 initial codes, which were classified into 26 categories and conceptualized across four dimensions -ecological, social, economic, and spatial- and one socio-spatial component. Analysis of the temporal distribution of the articles indicated that the first studies were published in 2007. Publication activity remained relatively stagnant until 2014, then increased. In terms of thematic distribution, the reviewed articles were published predominantly in the social, spatial, and economic domains, respectively.
Conclusions: The findings demonstrate that rural entrepreneurship, as an economic driver in rural communities, is strongly influenced by spatial factors. Research on rural entrepreneurship has been influenced by the conceptual evolution of the spatial discourse; concomitantly, the spatial components addressed in rural entrepreneurship studies have evolved from a traditional perspective toward a socio-spatial conceptualization. The findings suggest that space serves as a context for social interactions and plays a significant role in shaping social and spatial networks that influence the development of rural entrepreneurship. Therefore, with the continued development of spatial scholarship, spatial components influencing entrepreneurial development should be considered and emphasized as key factors in policymaking for rural entrepreneurship development.