Immigrant Entrepreneurship in the Swedish Welfare State

Bibliographic Data

ID2321370
AuthorsMikael Hjerm (0000-0003-4203-5394, Umeå University, corresponding author)
Year2004
Volume38
Issue4
Pages739-756
Publication date2004-10-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueSociology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0038-0385 • E-ISSN: 1469-8684
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/0038038504045862
OpenAlexW2088302523
LanguageEN
Citations received29
References cited20

This article puts into question the taken-for-granted view that immigrant entrepreneurship is a fast track towards integration in civil society. It does so by examining income and disposable income for immigrant entrepreneurs in Sweden in relation to immigrants that are not entrepreneurs. Data is drawn from the LOUISE database, which is a longitudinal register database covering all individuals above 16 years of age living in Sweden and includes income variables, age, sex, education, employment status and so on. It is shown that immigrant entrepreneurs have substantially lower incomes than employed immigrants and only marginally higher levels of disposable incomes compared to the unemployed when other background variables are held constant. The relationship between the two groups did not change between 1992 and 1998 suggesting that, contrary to what was expected, differences in the state of the economy are not decisive in explaining income differences between the different groups of immigrants. It is suggested that entrepreneurship for immigrants may or may not be positive for the individual, but it is clear that it is not a successful way to fight economic marginalization and segregation. It puts into question the effectiveness of the whole social democratic welfare state when it comes to integrating immigrants into society

Democracy · Demographic economics · Economics · Entrepreneurship · Immigration · Market economy · Political science · Politics · Sociology · State (computer science) · Welfare · Welfare state · Entrepreneurship Studies and Influences · Law · Migration and Labor Dynamics · Migration, Ethnicity, and Economy

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