The masking effect of entrepreneurship on the link of university-firm technology transfers to inclusive growth: a Yin-Yang dialectical systems view

With the widening gap between the rich and the poor, inclusive growth—meaning the fair distribution of economic growth and equal opportunities for all—has become a priority for many countries. There is an urgent need to investigate inclusive growth from a meso- and networks-based perspective to better interpret its systematic paradoxes across varying levels of analysis. In response, built upon a Yin–Yang dialectical systems view, this research aims to address the paradoxical links between university–firm technology transfer (UFTT), the inclusive growth of entrepreneurial ecosystems (EEs), and entrepreneurship. Based on panel data from 31 Chinese provinces collected between 2010 and 2020, our results show a positive relationship between UFTT and inclusive growth, while entrepreneurship not only negatively impacts inclusive growth but also acts as a mediator that masks the above-mentioned positive association. Furthermore, systems knowledge moderates the impact of this mediating mechanism. The main contribution of this research is to provide novel insights into understanding the meso-level influence on the inclusive growth of EEs through an unorthodox Yin–Yang dialectical systems approach.