Family business and regional science: “Bridging the gap”

•Interaction between the fields of family business and regional science.•The role of family firms in regional economic environments.•The ways family firms may contribute to regional economic growth and development.•The effect of socio-spatial and institutional context on firm behavior—performance.

The purpose of this special issue is to stimulate research on the interaction between the fields of family business and regional science. Despite their overlapping themes and the high relevance of family firms for many regions, the two academic fields have emerged independently from each other, and little exchange exists. We discuss not only the role family firms play within the region in order to enhance our understanding of the ways family firms may (or may not) contribute to regional economic development but also the effect of socio-spatial and institutional context on firm behavior and performance. The set of empirical and theoretical articles included in this special issue represents an important early step bridging insights between the two fields.