Entrepreneurship under fire: A conceptual framework for understanding entrepreneurial operations and innovation in conflict-prone regions

This work develops a multi-theoretical framework to explain how entrepreneurs in conflict-prone regions operate and innovate under conditions of extreme resource scarcity, political instability, and persistent insecurity. Drawing on bricolage theory, institutional theory, effectuation, and resilience perspectives, this paper proposes that entrepreneurs in conflict zones engage in distinctive adaptive practices that transcend conventional entrepreneurship models. Through comparative analysis of entrepreneurship in Nigeria’s Boko Haram-affected regions and Kenya’s Al-Shabab terrorism context, alongside evidence from Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Yemen, and Somalia, this work developed seven theoretical propositions that advance understanding of conflict-zone entrepreneurship. This paper framework reveals how entrepreneurs reconfigure resources, navigate institutional voids, leverage social capital, and balance survival imperatives with innovation opportunities. This study contributes to management theory by explicating the boundary conditions of established entrepreneurship theories and identifying novel mechanisms through which entrepreneurs create value under extreme adversity.