GLOBAL MODELS OF ENTREPRENEURIAL ECOSYSTEMS AND THEIR ADAPTATION TO MAHALLA-LEVEL DEVELOPMENT: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS

This article provides a comparative analysis of the principal models used in international practice to conceptualize and develop entrepreneurial ecosystems and evaluates their applicability to the mahalla, Uzbekistan’s community-level institution. The study synthesizes the entrepreneurial ecosystem approach, national and regional innovation systems, Triple–Quadruple–Quintuple Helix models, cluster and local economic development theories, inclusive and community-based entrepreneurship, and the Smart Territory/Smart Village concept. The analysis shows that no single model fully captures the economic, institutional, social, spatial, and digital dimensions of entrepreneurship at the neighborhood level. Accordingly, the article proposes an integrated framework combining ecosystem interdependence, multi-actor governance, community participation, local specialization, inclusion, and digital coordination. International experiences—including Finland’s startup communities, the United Kingdom’s local partnerships, South Korea’s Saemaul Undong, Thailand’s One Tambon One Product programme, and the European Union’s Smart Villages initiative—are examined to identify transferable mechanisms. The paper concludes with an authorial definition of a mahalla entrepreneurial ecosystem and outlines practical principles for adapting global models to Uzbekistan’s institutional environment.