Characteristics, Conditions and Scope of Entrepreneurship among Newcomers

During 2015, about 163,000 individuals applied for asylum in Sweden, approx.
90,000 are aged between 18 and 64. A great challenge to the Swedish economy and
society is to promote the active integration of this group of newcomers.1 A greater
societal challenge still is to make use of the huge potential and human capital
(knowledge, experience, expertise) that this group bring with them to Sweden.
Entrepreneurship is viewed as one such method of integrating this new group, while
at the same time making use of and transforming this human capital into a social and
economic contribution and opportunity (Eraydin et al., 2010).
Entrepreneurs are often seen as the antidote to a plethora of economic, social and
environmental challenges. Previous research undoubting shows that entrepreneurs
contribute to local and regional growth and economic development (Rocha, 2004), job
creation (Arzeni, 1997). Entrepreneurs have also picked up the baton and leading the
way in terms of societal change (Bornstien, 2007; Fink et al., 2013) and the greening
of our economies. As a phenomenon, the entrepreneurial process (including
entrepreneurial intentions and actions and the role context plays (Kautonen et al.,
2014; Kibler et al., 2014) of newcomers in Sweden remains largely unknown as does
the mechanisms of entrepreneurship as a method of integration, from both an
academic and a policy perspective.
The purpose, therefore, of this project is to understand the nuances of the
characteristics, scope and conditions of entrepreneurship among newcomers. In doing
so, we respond to the fore mentioned societal and economic challenges of the
effective integration of newcomers via entrepreneurship, by providing an evidence based understanding of this phenomenon as it unfolds. In satisfying this purpose
comes further theoretical and methodological challenges, which we outline below and
how we deal with each of these challenges.