Immigration and Entrepreneurship in the Americas: Drivers, Challenges and Local Economic Impact

by Clara Margaça (Editor), Andreas Walmsley (Editor), Helena Knörr (Editor)

Overview

Migration in the Americas continues unabated. Seeking to improve understanding of the complexity of this phenomenon, this book presents different approaches that are at the root of an immigrant-entrepreneur's decision-making and the implementation of entrepreneurial activity in North and South America.

The cases presented provide a knowledge base upon which policymakers, government agencies, and the like can draw, providing a basis for comparison for other countries regarding how and why immigrants decide to become entrepreneurs, the challenges they face, and the contributions they make. In this sense, the book presents an overview of immigrant entrepreneurship in the Americas. The studies presented include the cultural, ethnic, and religious backgrounds behind the reasons for starting a business in the host community, as well as the factors that influence the choice of business area. Furthermore, it explores how this type of entrepreneur contributes to local and sustainable and economic development and will deepen the understanding of immigrants' triggers for emigrating and for engaging in entrepreneurship in the host society. Based on the studies presented, it will offer guidelines regarding policies to support immigrant entrepreneurs, as well as to outline future research avenues.

This book will be an invaluable resource to researchers and scholars in the fields of immigration, immigrant entrepreneurship, entrepreneurial culture, and economic development.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781032785127
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	06/19/2025
Series:	Routledge Studies in Entrepreneurship and Small Business
Pages:	180
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Clara Margaça is an Assistant Professor at Lusofona University, Porto University Center, Portugal.

Andreas Walmsley is an Associate Professor in Business at Plymouth Marjon University, UK.

Helena Knörr is a Professor of Organizational Leadership at Point Park University and a Professor of Entrepreneurship at doinGlobal, a Global Leadership network, USA.

Table of Contents

List of Contributors
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Chapter 1 – Live, Work and Pray in the New York Metropolitan Area: Brazilian Immigrants and Ethnic-Religious Entrepreneurship. Donizete Rodrigues and Sidney Greenfield
Chpater 2 – Religious system, challenges and support for immigrant entrepreneurship "The immigration of Brazilians in the city of Lowell, MA, USA". Evaldo Vicente and Cleverton Duarte Epormucena
Chapter 3 – Entrepreneurship of Immigrants beyond Ethnic Enclaves: Determining Factors. Radjabu Mayuto and Zhan Su
Chapter 4 – Migration factors that influence local entrepreneurship in Baja California, as a Mexican border state with the state of California in the United States of America. Alfredo Valadez-García, Josué Aarón López-Leyva, Sialia Karina Mellink-Méndez and Gloria Janeth Murillo-Aviña
Chapter 5 – The entrepreneur migrant woman and her emancipatory (im)possibilities in Brazilian context. Suélen Cristina de Miranda and Cecília Pescatore Alves
Chapter 6 – Wine entrepreneurs: Italian immigrants and the wine-making industry in Southern Brazil. Antonio de Ruggiero
Chapter 7 – Identity and agency of small businesses founded by German immigrants´ descendants in Santa Catarina State, South of Brazil. Hilka Pelizza Vier Machado, Ieda Margarete Oro, Sayonara de Fátima Teston , Fábio Lazzarotti and Jörg Freiling
Chapter 8 – Migrant ethnic groups: South–South entrepreneurs in Antofagasta (Chile). Emilio Ricci, Gianni Romaní Chocce, and Luis Miguel Rodrigo Benito
Chapter 9 - South–South Migration and Entrepreneurship: The Case of Chile.Yamil Tala, Mauricio Apablaza and Vesna Mandakovic
Conclusion

Index