Promoting migrant entrepreneurship

Presenter: Prof. Jan Rath

Date: 30/05/2019

Time: 15.00 h

Place: 40.246

Abstract

An increasing number of immigrants have become entrepreneurial and many governments expect or hope that the ongoing rise of migrant entrepreneurship will contribute significantly to the integration of immigrants, to their upward mobility, and to the economic development of the city of residence. Based on the mixed embeddedness approach, this presentation explores the rules, regulations and policy interventions that shape self-employment trajectories in general and those of immigrant ethnic minorities in particular. Empirical evidence is drawn from on a general inventory of measures to promote ethnic entrepreneurship in 32 European countries, and a somewhat deeper inventory of policies and interventions in 28 European cities. While all kinds of measures and interventions can be identified, the most striking finding is that explicit measures and interventions are thin on the ground. What are the structural determinants of such an outcome?