Much ado about refugee entrepreneurship? Refugees vs. economic migrants’ entrepreneurial intention in Poland

Abstract

Objective: The objective of the article is to assess whether in Poland, Ukrainian war refugees exhibit more entrepreneurial intention than Ukrainian pre-war economic migrants.

Research Design & Methods: This article uses data from a panel study conducted in 2022 and 2023, encompassing 357 (1st wave) and 481 Ukrainian war refugees and pre-war economic migrants (2nd wave). The study employed decision tree analysis with the CRT (classification and regression) method on the 2023 sample data for data analysis.

Findings: Research findings indicate that regarding Ukrainians’ entrepreneurial intention, their gender rather than the specific nature of their migration status holds significance – whether as an economic migrant or a refugee.

Implications & Recommendations: We suggest that intersectionality and the associated gender gap require close examination rather than setting the sole focus on the migrant or refugee status. An increased emphasis should lie on providing entrepreneurship guidance that is human-centred and, in so doing, female- and family-centred.

Contribution & Value Added: Prior research has not thoroughly explored the differences between pre-war economic migrants and refugees regarding their engagement in entrepreneurship and their achievements within this domain. This article taps into this research gap by conducting a comparative analysis of two distinct cohorts of migrants from Ukraine in Poland.

Keywords

refugee entrepreneurship, migrant entrepreneurship, entrepreneurial intention, Ukrainian refugees vs economic migrants

Author Biography

Alexandra David

PhD in management and social science (2015, University of Twente, Netherlands). Senior researcher at the Institute for Work and Technology of the Westphalian University in Germany. Her research interests focus on minority entrepreneurship and migrant entrepreneurship including migrants’ influence on innovation and regional development.

Correspondence to: Alexandra David, PhD, Institute for Work and Technology, Westphalian University, Munscheidstraße 14, 45886 Gelsenkirchen, Germany, e-mail: david@iat.eu

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