Immigrant Entrepreneurs: Venturing Abroad in the Age of Globalization

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No large city is complete without a bustling array of culturally diverse businesses. Immigrant entrepreneurship rose dramatically in the last decade of the twentieth century and has, inevitably, had a huge impact on urban life. Not only has immigrant business revitalized derelict shopping streets, but it has also introduced 'exotic' products and fostered new forms of social cohesion. In spite of this, we rarely consider how migrants made the trek abroad, what role they play in their country of settlement, and what effect they have on the global economic climate. Through a comparative study of international 'advanced economies', this book explores the impact of immigrant business. It draws on in-depth case studies from Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, the United States and South Africa. Paying specific attention to the particularities of each country, it provides an up-to-date review of theoretical debates that have developed rapidly in recent years. How important is the institutional framework of each country in determining the extent and incidence of immigrant entrepreneurship What role do welfare systems play in immigration and how do they compare and contrast in different countries In what ways do immigrants use their own resources, make use of existing ones, and create new ones Immigrant Entrepreneurs provides a comprehensive, cross-cultural overview of immigrant business in a diverse global economy. Sophisticated in its analysis and innovative in its approach, this timely book is a benchmark publication.

Reviews

'The significance and complexity of the comparative agenda is one of the volume's strongest statements. I recommend it for researchers who want to design studies on immigrant economic integration addressing the broadest possible set of issues, relevant to the widest audience.' American Journal of Sociology 'The book represents a valuable contribution to the existing body of literature. The authors accomplish what they set out to do, i.e. explore the questions that lie behind numbers.' Regional Studies 'Although scholarly interest in immigrant entrepreneurs has expanded mightily in the last generation, and now includes an impressive literature, the literature has barely kept pace with the expansion of immigrant entrepreneurship in the worlds immigrant reception countries, including the eleven countries compared in this volume. Scholars have long understood in principle that divergent structures shape divergent entrepreneurship. To this end, they have already compared cities within a single country. However, actually comparing national structures becomes both more complex and more urgent as more nations gain and recruit immigrant entrepreneurs. The editors and the contributors of this ambitious, internationally coordinated project have here taken the bull by the horns, describing and analyzing eleven national systems within whose constraints immigrants resources and agency turn into more or less successful business development. They accomplish this essential task with extraordinary effectiveness, simultaneously opening the topic to newcomers, strengthening the knowledge base for experts, and reflecting cogently on underlying theoretical and policy issues.' Ivan Light, University of California, Los Angeles 'The book is well-presented and documented, an excellent introduction to the field.' European Studies 'The book is well-presented and documented, and excellent introduction to the field.' Nigel Harris, University College, London, in Development Policy Review, April 2006 (24:3) 'the book represents a valuable contribution to the existing body of literature...(Kloosterman and Rath) encourage and facilitate creative multifaceted approaches to addressing fundamental questions.' Regional Studies 'this book will serve as a milestone in terms of both theoretical and empirical analysis of immigrant entrepreneurship...offers a great opportunity for readers to gain knowledge about national differences in international migration and their economic incorporation.' International Sociology 'This volume makes an important contribution to the immigrant/ethnic entrepreneurship literature and is indeed a successor to the earlier milestone book by Waldinger et al. in 1990. This book is well worth reading as it will be the reference book on international research on immigrant/ethnic entrepreneurship for many years to come.' Journal of International Migration and Integration, vol 6. 1 'This book is well-presented and documented, an excellent introduction to the field.' Development Policy Review

Author Bio

Robert Kloosterman Professor of Economic Geography,University of Amsterdam Jan Rath Associate Professor and Co-Director, Institute for Migration and Ethnic Studies, University of Amsterdam