Immigrant Entrepreneurship's Socio-Economic Contribution to the Receiving Society. A Case Study of Peruvian and Ecuadorian Businesses in the City of Rome
Author
Mancini, Flavio
Term
4. term
Publication year
2019
Submitted on
2019-05-30
Pages
62
Abstract
Migration og iværksætteri fylder stadig mere globalt. Dette studie undersøger peruvianske og ecuadorianske iværksættere i Rom for at forstå, hvordan migrantdrevne virksomheder påvirker værtssamfundet og integrationen. Udgangspunktet er hypotesen om, at mange migrantvirksomheders grænseoverskridende ("transnationale") træk—fx bånd til leverandører, kunder eller finansiering i flere lande—kan styrke indvandreres økonomiske og sociale integration og skabe afledte gevinster ud over virksomhederne selv. Vi indsamlede primære data gennem lokal kortlægning af virksomheder, spørgeskemaer og semistrukturerede interviews og supplerede med sekundære kilder. Derefter anvendte vi en hierarkisk klyngeanalyse, en statistisk metode der grupperer lignende cases, til at finde mønstre i strategier og resultater. Vi tolkede fundene med Teorien om immigrantkapital (hvordan migranter kombinerer ressourcer og muligheder) i konteksten af etniske økonomier (virksomhedsnetværk inden for et migrantmiljø) og generelle begreber om samfundsøkonomisk effekt. Analysen pegede på to hovedgrupper med forskellige strategier og økonomisk præstation. Den ene gruppe klarede sig bedre; den anden havde stagnerende eller faldende indikatorer. Den succesfulde gruppe delte sig yderligere i to undergrupper, som opnåede gode resultater via forskellige strategier. Når teorierne anvendes på disse mønstre, bekræftes store dele af hypotesen i dette casestudie: migrantiværksætteri fremmer indvandreres integration i værtssamfundet. Men succes skyldes ikke kun de transnationale træk; grænseoverskridende bånd er ikke en nødvendig forudsætning for gode resultater. Samlet set bidrog migrantvirksomheder i dette casestudie positivt med jobskabelse, innovation, integration, forbindelser til udenrigshandel og grænseoverskridende kapitalbevægelser. I takt med stigende migration og iværksætteriets centrale rolle i moderne økonomier bliver forståelsen af immigrantiværksætteri endnu vigtigere. Studiet giver et overvejende kvalitativt, casebaseret bidrag om peruvianske og ecuadorianske iværksættere i Rom og peger på indsigter med bredere relevans.
Migration and entrepreneurship are increasingly important worldwide. This study focuses on Peruvian and Ecuadorian entrepreneurs in Rome to understand how migrant-owned businesses affect the host society and immigrant integration. We hypothesize that the cross-border ("transnational") features of many migrant firms—such as ties to suppliers, customers, or finance in more than one country—help immigrants integrate economically and socially, creating wider benefits beyond the firms themselves. We collected primary data through local business mapping, surveys, and semi-structured interviews, and complemented it with secondary sources. We then used a hierarchical cluster analysis, a statistical method that groups similar cases, to identify patterns in entrepreneurial strategies and outcomes. We interpreted the findings using the Theory of Immigrant Capital (how migrants combine resources and opportunities) within the context of ethnic economies (business networks inside a migrant community) and general concepts of socio-economic impact. Two main groups emerged, with distinct strategies and performance. One group achieved stronger economic results; the other showed stagnant or declining indicators. The successful group split into two subgroups that reached good outcomes through different strategies. Applying the theory to these patterns, most parts of our initial hypothesis held for this case: migrant entrepreneurship supports immigrants’ integration in the host society. However, success was not driven only by transnational features; having cross-border ties was not a necessary condition for good performance. Overall, in this case study migrant businesses contributed positively through job creation, innovation, integration, links to foreign trade, and cross-border flows of capital. As migration grows and entrepreneurship remains central to modern economies, understanding immigrant entrepreneurship will become even more important. This study offers a mainly qualitative, case-based contribution on Peruvian and Ecuadorian entrepreneurs in Rome and points to insights that may be useful more broadly.
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