Who is doing “transnational diaspora entrepreneurship”? Understanding formal identity and status

Self-Confidence of Venezuelan Migrant Entrepreneurs in Colombia

“…Certainly, policy design and formulation must have a broader scope than the field of entrepreneurship as it encompasses migration and integration policies, social balances, opportunities and development (Elo et al 2018). Therefore, it is necessary for migration policy to regularise the situation of Venezuelan migrants in Colombia in a post-pandemic and cross-border context to give meaning to their entrepreneurial activities, reduce bottlenecks and help with sustainable livelihood projects for migrant entrepreneurs and their families, as pointed out by Elo et al (2022). After this, they will be able to open bank accounts and have a credit rating, register their businesses at the Chamber of Commerce, generate self-employment and formal employment, contribute to the health and pension system and, in general, contribute to the Colombian state through the payment of taxes.…”

“…Some migrants, who do not have a regular or formal migration status, have a barrier to entrepreneurial action and to entering significant business arrangements. There are also transnational migrant entrepreneurs who have multiple formal identities, such as some citizens living in a border territory; in this case, they can make formal economic commitments in different countries, beyond their cultural and social identities (Elo et al 2022).…”

“…Studies that have focused on investigating entrepreneurship or the motivation for entrepreneurship among immigrants have increased in the literature (Clark and Drinkwater 2010;Dabić et al 2020;Elo et al 2018Elo et al , 2022Elo and Dana 2019;Etemad 2017;González and Campbell 2018;Köllinger and Minniti 2006;Levie 2007;Liu et al 2019;Minto-Coy 2019;Schøtt 2018;Shinnar and Young 2008;Shinnar and Zamantılı nayır 2019;Tienda and Raijman 2004). However, there have been no similar studies on the Venezuelan migrant population, which is why this work is a novelty.…”

“…Moreover, this result reveals that many immigrant entrepreneurs are embedded in their global migration networks, in socio-professional contexts and in networks of relationships in their country of origin, evidencing a double rootedness, both in the country of origin and in the host country, which is positive in cross-border business operations (Elo and Dana 2019;Elo et al 2022) because it brings experience in two contexts, which facilitates links between the home and host country (Dabić et al 2020). Likewise, the convergence of culture and origin in migrants' ventures also gives rise to informal networks (family, neighbourhood, countrymen, friends, trust-based relationships) that may even lead to opportunities for other migrants along the supply chain (Minto-Coy 2019).…”

“…Migrant entrepreneurs face additional complexities and richness related to their business environments and contexts, own resources and business models, regimes and borders, but also to their transnationality; however, these complexities can generate advantages and development (Elo et al 2018;Etemad 2017), provided that the element of transnationalism involving spatiotemporal and identity elements is taken into account in public policies (Elo et al 2022). Regardless of gender, the immigrant population that decides to start a new business in a host country needs both behavioural and personality traits associated with the pull motivation addressed in the literature because they migrate in search for opportunities to improve their economic condition and that of their families.…”