Governance of Innovation Ecosystems and Competitive Performance: A Strategic Perspective

This study investigates the relationship between the governance of innovation ecosystems and competitive performance in Morocco during the period 2017–2024. It adopts a strategic and empirical approach grounded in ecosystem theory, governance mechanisms, institutional analysis, and digital transformation. The empirical analysis relies on the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) model to examine both short-run and long-run relationships between governance, innovation capacity, institutional quality, digital transformation, and competitiveness. The findings reveal the existence of a significant long-run equilibrium relationship among the variables. Governance appears as the most influential determinant of competitive performance, followed by digital transformation and innovation capacity, while institutional quality exerts a complementary but significant effect. Short-run estimations also indicate that improvements in governance and digital infrastructure generate immediate positive impacts on competitiveness. In addition, the error correction mechanism confirms a rapid adjustment toward long-run equilibrium. The study concludes that competitive performance depends not only on innovation itself, but also on the capacity to govern innovation ecosystems through coordinated, digitally supported, and institutionally embedded mechanisms. The research provides empirical evidence and policy implications for strengthening innovation governance and long-term competitiveness in Morocco. Keywords: Innovation ecosystems; Governance; Competitive performance; ARDL model; Digital transformation; Institutional quality; Innovation capacity; Morocco.