Refugee entrepreneurship in Belgium: Potential and practice

Abstract

By promoting refugee entrepreneurship, both the integration of refugees in society can be aided and domestic entrepreneurship can be boosted. Refugee entrepreneurship has been an underdeveloped domain of scientific research though. There clearly exists a potential for refugee entrepreneurship in Belgium, but this is too seldom realized in practice. Male refugees who have been self-employed in the past and whose family is active as an entrepreneur have a higher appetite for entrepreneurship. Refugee entrepreneurs are mostly male, in their thirties and forties and active in 'inferior' sectors. It was also found that refugee entrepreneurs earn less than other entrepreneurs.

Barriers to Refugee Entrepreneurship in Belgium: Towards an Explanatory Model

“…This difference in income can be found in every sector (Wauters and Lambrecht 2006), revealing that entrepreneurship can hardly be seen as a means of upward mobility for many refugees. We investigate below which barriers are responsible for this blocked mobility.…”

“…Of the total number of refugees in Belgium, 1.48 per cent are self-employed. We should, however, interpret these figures with caution (Wauters and Lambrecht 2006). We have data only on the formal self-employment activities of refugees, not about activities in the informal economy.…”

In and Out of the Ethnic Economy: A Longitudinal Analysis of Ethnic Networks and Pathways to Economic Success across Immigrant Categories

“…They are not selected based upon labor market fit, and their low levels of skills and qualifications may have reduced the likelihood of their immigrating under normal circumstances (Li, 2000). This constrained opportunity structure encourages them to start their own businesses (Knight, 1983) and to fulfill an “appetite for entrepreneurship” (Wauters and Lambrecht, 2006).…”

Guest editorial: Female and ethnic minority entrepreneurship

“…If they had to leave their own country suddenly, they might not have been able to bring some things with them such as money, assets or things they need to find employment, such as certificates. Wauters and Lambrecht (2006) look whether there is a potential for entrepreneurship amongst refugees, what types of refugees are likely to want to start a business and whether these business enable them to earn a reasonable income. Some immigrants settle in a country with the express intention of setting up a business, although this does not apply to refugees.…”