S¿awomir Konopa, PhD, is an affiliate at Indiana University Bloomington, Ostrom Workshop, United States. He earned his PhD in economics and finance with honors from the Jagiellonian University, Poland. He is also pursuing a master's degree in Accounting and Financial Management at Jagiellonian University. During his studies, he deepened his knowledge of economics at leading institutions including Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Oxford, and Paris and Barcelona Schools of Economics. He has received multiple scholarships for academic excellence, and his master's thesis won first place in a national competition for the best thesis in the field of entrepreneurship, organized by the Council for Entrepreneurship at the Office of the President of the Republic of Poland. His research interests focus on entrepreneurship and sustainable development.

Marta Gancarczyk is a Full Professor and Head of the Department of Finance and International Economics at the Institute of Economics, Finance and Management, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland. She holds her Ph.D. in Management Science from the University of Lodz, Poland; the Habilitated Ph.D. in Economics from Krakow University of Economics, Poland; and the Professor's title based on the recommendation from the Polish Council of Excellence. Her research, publication, and consulting activities focus on entrepreneurship, industrial clusters, firm growth, regional and innovation policies, and public policy for small and medium-sized enterprises.