Systematic Review of Immigrant Entrepreneurship Literature: Previous Findings and Ways Forward

Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, 2013 Vol. 00, No. 0, 1–26,doi 10.1080/08985626.2013.845694

56 Pages Posted: 3 Oct 2013 Last revised: 3 Oct 2013

See all articles by Rocío Aliaga-Isla

Rocío Aliaga-Isla

Autonomous University of Barcelona, Department of Business Economics

Alex Rialp

Autonomous University of Barcelona

Date Written: September 18, 2013

Abstract

Immigrant entrepreneurship is an important socio-economic phenomenon today. Many studies have been developed in academic arenas of different disciplines. This paper aims to present a systematic review of academic literature related to immigrant entrepreneurship. In doing so, two questions are addressed: what has been done in international immigrant entrepreneurship research? and what are the trends that marked this phenomenon in research arenas? For this purpose, 45 articles published in academic journals are examined based on their (a) objectives, (b) theoretical frameworks and (c) methodologies. This paper provides evidence that most papers on immigrant entrepreneurship have focused on the reality of the USA, followed by Europe and Oceania. Furthermore, the review has identified the individual level of analysis and the deductive perspective as a common trend. There is a shortage in theory-building and qualitative studies in this field of knowledge. On the basis of the review, several gaps in the literature are identified that need to be filled in future research in order to enlarge the scientific knowledge on immigrant entrepreneurship.

Keywords: immigrant, entrepreneurship, entrepreneur, systematic review

JEL Classification: L26, M13

Suggested Citation

Aliaga-Isla, Rocío and Rialp, Alex, Systematic Review of Immigrant Entrepreneurship Literature: Previous Findings and Ways Forward (September 18, 2013). Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, 2013 Vol. 00, No. 0, 1–26,doi 10.1080/08985626.2013.845694, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2334203

Rocío Aliaga-Isla (Contact Author)

Autonomous University of Barcelona, Department of Business Economics ( email )

Campus Bellaterra
Barcelona, 08193
Spain

Alex Rialp

Autonomous University of Barcelona ( email )

Campus Bellaterra
Barcelona, 08193
Spain

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