Promotion of Migrant Entrepreneurship

Migration is a dynamic reality in today's global and modern societies, representing challenges and opportunities. Studies show that migrants and refugees are resilient and more likely than non-migrants to start new businesses, although they still encounter obstacles mainly associated with their legal status. The High Commission for Migration (ACM) is a public institute in Portugal responsible for the implementation of public policies for the reception and integration of migrants. Through its Migrant Entrepreneur Support Office (GAEM), ACM promotes a range of initiatives to support migrants and refugees wishing to develop micro-business in Portugal, based primarily on skills development, capacity building, networking, and institutional referral. From the Portuguese experience, this chapter will describe the investment in public measures in this area, demonstrating how the promotion of entrepreneurship is a fundamental dimension for the integration of migrants and how ACM supports migrants and refugees in the development of their entrepreneurial projects.

Integration of Syrian Refugees in Turkey

The consequences of the Syrian Civil War that started in March 2011 have been tragic and devastating for the Syrian people. Many of them have fled their country and sought asylum in other parts of the world, especially in Turkey. The unofficial figures suggest that there are close to six million Syrian refugees living in Turkey, yet over two million of them are not registered to work under the temporary protection provided by the Turkish government. As a result of this, it is impossible for many refugees to get a legally paid job. Refugees usually work in informal sectors for extremely low wages. This makes refugees vulnerable to exploitation at work and get employed at jobs that locals are reluctant to do. This chapter highlights the case study of two non-profit companies that have been launched by two young Turkish social entrepreneurs in Turkey to create employment opportunities to provide regular and sustainable income to Syrian refugees that public and private sectors have failed to meet and address.

Religion and Spirituality Empowering Female Refugee Entrepreneurship

Female refugees face additional challenges and obstacles on their path to entrepreneurship. This can be explained by intersectionality, taking into account compounded discrimination due to gender, ethnicity, socio-economic status, and also religion. While conservative religious values and norms tend to be portrayed in a negative light, as hindering female leadership and fostering patriarchal views, this chapter assesses the positive impact that religion and spirituality may have for women refugee entrepreneurs. From the perspective of social psychology, it also considers how a comprehensive and creative training for female entrepreneurs should account for the demand-side, supply-side, soft skills, mental health, and religion and spirituality, preceded by a sound analysis of the context.

Characteristics Acquired by European and Non-European Immigrants

Studies on immigrant entrepreneurship have focused on some groups of immigrants according their ethnicity and citizenship. Nonetheless, there is a configuration of immigrants inside Spain that has been neglected in research arenas. This study analyzes which factors at individual level influence the creation of businesses by EU and non-EU immigrants. Factors acquired in home and host country are considered. Hypotheses are tested using multivariate analysis. Employing data from the National Immigrant Survey of Spain – ENI-2007, the findings showed immigrants who owned or managed a business in their home country have higher probability to create a business. Among factors acquired in Spain, the experience in occupation was the more relevant for EU immigrants. However, the experience in construction sector was significant for non-EU immigrants. Furthermore, the exposure to Spanish context and social contacts were significant, increasing the probability of creating a business by non-EU immigrants in Spain.

Entrepreneurial Education

This chapter presents entrepreneurial education as a source of social transformation in relation to the urgent need to adapt to the new modus operandi, influenced by economic and social forces. The goal is to provoke reflections on the theoretical conception of being an entrepreneur, the education, the entrepreneurial activity that drives changes, the growth and the development of the local and global economies based on the analysis of entrepreneurial education in Brazil as a methodic journey through a literature review and critical analysis by the authors, who gather solid experience in the area of education for entrepreneurship. As a result of the study, there is the need for intensive investments which offer entrepreneurial education from basic education, in order to attend the continuous training directed to students, beginner and experienced entrepreneurs, and to individuals in immigration situations.

Migrants Learning to Become Entrepreneurs

This study investigates migrant self-selection on values, beliefs, and attitudes who have become entrepreneurs and are engaged in entrepreneurial activities in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. The authors investigate, during the second semester of 2019, migrants who became entrepreneurs in the food industry, in the manufacture and trade of food typical of the migrant countries of origin. Findings provide new insights into the determinants of research and practice of migrant entrepreneurship. They seek to link the discussion of migrant and refugee entrepreneurship with the issue of UNESCO's recognition that cuisine integrates the concept of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity and to relate the entrepreneurial performance of migrants and refugees to issues related to cultural identity with associations to the memory of the homeland. The results provide economic, political, and cultural contexts for theories; identify contexts that promote community development; and help reconcile debates in the areas of migrants and entrepreneurship.

The Sublime Emerald

Talented migrant women constitute a main stake for Western economies, especially when they become entrepreneurs. Most international organisations insist on their role in the economic growth. Unfortunately, they face much more ostracism than men during their path to success. In this context, the chapter aims at identifying how education may sustain their challenge first isolating talented migrant women, then giving them managerial tools to transform their technical talent into successful business. The chapter is divided into three sections. First, it analyses the importance of migrant talented women for the host economy. Then, it explores the ways education may shape female migrant talent by avoiding disqualification of recognised talents and identifying raw talents. At last, it highlights the role of education transforming migrant women into successful entrepreneur. Beyond the technical skills, it is suggested that education has to help resizing the role of (migrant) women in the society and of course dispense the appropriate missing skills.

Entrepreneurial Education in Roma Communities in Portugal

This chapter presents an exploratory study about Roma communities, located in the municipalities of Torres Vedras and Figueira da Foz, to identify how entrepreneurial education has been taking place and how it can be improved by reflecting on which predictive skills of entrepreneurial success can be stimulated to this target audience in a non-formal educational context. From this point on, it aims to contribute not only to the development of a theory about entrepreneurial education, but also to awaken dormant or little stimulated potential, with the aim of triggering processes of human and socioeconomic development that reflect on the improvement of the quality of life of communities and society as a whole. In this sense, it aims to understand how entrepreneurial education, in a non-formal spectrum, can contribute to improving the quality of life of the Roma people.

Supporting Business Across Continents

This chapter is aimed at providing information and guidance that may help voluntary migrants and refugees construct a new life for themselves and for their families by starting a new business to support them financially in a new setting far from their original homeplace. Cultural, legal, and operational aspects as well as management issues are of the utmost importance for a fledgling entrepreneur. In fact, these are issues that are relevant anywhere in the world and should help guarantee the success of a new company. The steps an entrepreneur will have to follow to turn a dream of starting a business into reality are discussed here. Such steps go from the starting point of identifying a business opportunity in the new region and evaluating the skills and financial resources available to implement the idea up to planning, executing, and monitoring. Specific advice is provided regarding family businesses.

Advancing the Socioeconomic Development and Integration of Migrant Women Through Entrepreneurship Education

The discourse on female migrant entrepreneurship/female migrant entrepreneurs (FME/FMEs) and entrepreneurship education and training (EET) is one which is gradually gaining interest among scholars because of the relevance of these areas to increasing our understanding of entrepreneurship generally and migrant entrepreneurship in particular. Various studies have alluded to the potential positive impact and contributions of FMEs to the development of host countries, as well as the strong link between education, entrepreneurial performance, and economic growth and development. EET plays a significant role in equipping aspiring and nascent FMEs with the relevant skills, knowledge, and competencies, thereby enhancing the quality of entrepreneurs and facilitating entrepreneurial success among this migrant group. Situating within the Irish context, this chapter examines some of the issues associated with FME, the socioeconomic development of FMEs, and how EET can serve as a strategic tool and catalyst for advancing the socio-economic development and integration of migrant women.