Forced migrants: labour market integration and entrepreneurship

Sak, Güven; Kaymaz, Timur; Kadkoy, Omar; Kenanoglu, Murat

doi:10.5018/economics-ejournal.ja.2018-32

Cited by 10 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…With emerging countries hosting more than two-thirds of the world's refugees, there is concern in these regions about the pressure to accommodate large refugee populations while meeting the needs of their own citizens (Merheb 2005). In the public spheres of host communities, increased refugee participation in the labor market is perceived as the main driver of labor market displacement for the local labor force (Sak et al 2018). For this paper, our research setting is Mexico.…”

Section: Institutional Determinants Of Refugee Entrepreneurshipmentioning

confidence: 99%

The refugee entrepreneurship process from/in emerging economies

2021

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The paper examines several refugee experiences in Mexico and presents their reasons for leaving their home countries. A gap in research is identifying the entrepreneurial process experienced by refugee entrepreneurs. We use the case study of 10 Latin American refugees in Mexico to propose a conceptual framework that describes the entrepreneurial process of refugee entrepreneurs. We have found that this process begins with the abandonment of the country of origin, followed by the traumatic experiences that caused flight and the difficulties they face in the pilgrimage to the host country. These events help shape the entrepreneurial intention of the refugees.

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Section: Institutional Determinants Of Refugee Entrepreneurshipmentioning

confidence: 99%

The refugee entrepreneurship process from/in emerging economies

2021

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“…Since 2015, the number of studies investigating refugees’ entrepreneurial potentials has increased drastically (Easton-Calabria and Omata, 2016; Shellito, 2016; Betts et al , 2017; Bizri, 2017; Finsterwalder, 2017; Sak et al , 2017). Scholars have investigated refugees’ entrepreneurial activities in countries such as Malaysia (Ayadurai, 2011), Uganda (Betts et al , 2014; Betts and Bloom, 2015), Jordan (Refai et al , 2018), Ethiopia (Brown et al , 2018), Kenya (Betts et al , 2018) or the countries bordering Syria (Harb et al , 2018).…”

Section: Conceptual Backgroundsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Scholars and policymakers have come to expect several positive outcomes of refugee entrepreneurship. Two of the most frequently discussed consequences are economic contributions to the host countries (Betts et al , 2017; Harb et al , 2018) and labor market integration (Collins, 2017; Sak et al , 2017; Freudenberg and Halberstadt, 2018). There are several barriers that refugees need to overcome before they can find employment and begin their integration into the labor market of host countries.…”

Section: Conceptual Backgroundsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Functional domains of business incubators for refugee entrepreneurs

Harima

Freudenberg²,

Halberstadt

2019

JEC

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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to conceptualize business incubators and their support for entrepreneurial refugees. While the number of initiatives supporting refugees’ entrepreneurial activities has increased in recent years, we still know little about how they differ from other types of business incubators. Design/methodology/approach This case study investigates a business incubator in Hamburg, Germany, targeting enterprising refugees. For this paper, 14 in-depth interviews with program participants and incubation managers were conducted. Findings This paper inductively derives five functional domains of refugee business incubators: providing structured entrepreneurial knowledge; alleviating anxiety related to institutional differences; guiding through the process at the incubator and motivating participants; understanding and tapping into social capital in the host country; and providing soft support concerning personal matters. The findings show that business incubators could and possibly should address specific needs of refugees and that there is much room for improvement. This study suggests that the five domains listed above represent key characteristics that distinguish refugee business incubators from traditional business incubators. Practical implications This paper offers valuable practical insights for refugee business incubators, which need to consider and develop functional domains listed above. Because these kinds of incubators are a fairly recent phenomenon, there is a general lack of and need for blueprints. The findings of this paper suggest that business incubators could integrate and support entrepreneurial refugees provided that they consider the five functional domains identified here. The findings also provide evidence that entrepreneurship can be a possible means of vocational integration for refugees and one way of institutions and policy-makers in host country seeking to support refugees’ entrepreneurial activities, for example, by developing or subsidizing business incubators targeting refugees. Originality/value This paper’s contributions are twofold. First, this paper addresses a gap in the literature on refugee entrepreneurship by providing insights concerning the important role of support institutions. Second, this paper conceptualizes business incubators for enterprising refugees as a distinctive type of business incubators. This paper has, however, some limitations. Because it only considered a relatively small number of refugee entrepreneurs, it is difficult to generalize the findings. The cross-cultural setting of the empirical study, with its potential for linguistic and cultural misunderstandings, may have affected the results.

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“…Using survey data and elaborative statistical analysis, it places particular importance on education or proficiency in the language of the host country as important determinants of integration (Auer, 2017; Bach, 2017). Similarly, this type of research has highlighted the importance of refugee resilience and adaptability to labor market characteristics (Bakker et al , 2017; Pajic et al , 2018) or the need to actively engage in entrepreneurial activity (Sak et al , 2018; Obschonka et al , 2018). In this line of reasoning, the state could facilitate these efforts by establishing certain policies, but at its core the argument suggests that it is the activation of refugees themselves that is of paramount importance for successful labor market integration.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

The refugee crisis as a preparation stage for future exclusion

Xypolytas

2018

IJSSP

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Purpose Using the holistic approach to migrant exclusion, the purpose of this paper is to examine the refugee crisis as a preparation stage for future exclusion in the host countries. In previous migration analyses, the preparation stage involved only the country of origin, where people were becoming acclimatized to casual and low-status work and an ethos of survival. In the refugee crisis, this important stage spans across three spaces: the country of origin, Turkey as an intermediate stage and the hotspots of Greece. Design/methodology/approach This is a qualitative research that was based on 22 semi-structured interviews with refugees from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan who live in the hotspot of Moria which is situated in Lesvos, Greece. Findings The research shows that in the first two countries of the preparation stage, refugees have become accustomed to casual and low-status jobs, which results in the loss of their labor identity and the development of instrumental work orientations. Similarly, the living conditions at the hotspots are so problematic that refugees are becoming desperate to escape this environment. These can have serious consequences for integration in the host countries, as refugees become pacified and at the same time strongly inclined to enter casual and low-status employment. Both developments can drastically undermine the refugees’ relation to the societies of the host countries. Originality/value The paper suggests that, given the preparation stage in these three settings, migration policy in the host countries should focus on recognizing long marginalization processes, immediately decongesting the hotspots and pay particular emphasis on the acknowledgment or creation of skills that can distance refugees from casual and low-status work.

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Forced migrants: labour market integration and entrepreneurship

Cited by 10 publications

References 8 publications

The refugee entrepreneurship process from/in emerging economies

The refugee entrepreneurship process from/in emerging economies

Functional domains of business incubators for refugee entrepreneurs

The refugee crisis as a preparation stage for future exclusion

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