Emancipation really matters: Why family firms might be a preferable choice for Syrian refugees in Egypt? An exploratory study

Abstract

This study explores the relations within the current broader literature on migration and entrepreneurship and specifically investigates the extent to which Syrian refugees in Egypt prefer to establish family businesses and why. A qualitative research method is employed by conducting semi‐structured interviews with 45 Syrian partner/managers of micro, small and medium‐sized family businesses in Egypt. Thematic analysis was used to determine the main ideas in the interview transcripts. Syrian refugees in Egypt were found to prefer to establish family businesses. And the following were considered to be the main antecedents of such preference: action resources (economic challenges and poor salaries in the host country; refugee financial insolvency; refugees' limited social network), emancipation values (refugees' trust in working with each other; refugees' intention to pay back the support/gratitude perceived from the host country) and civic entitlement (governmental support to family businesses).