Document Type : Review article
Authors
1
Department of Social Sciences, Faculty of Letters and Humanities, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran.
2
Associate Professor, Department of Social Sciences, Faculty of Letters and Humanities, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran
3
Professor, Department of Sociology, Faculty of Letters and Humanities, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran.
Abstract
This article uses a systematic review method based on the PRISMA guidelines to examine research on immigrant entrepreneurship, aiming to identify strategies for achieving economic success in the host society. The study reviews 45 selected articles from Web of Science and Scopus databases between 2021 and April 2025. The findings indicate that a set of operational strategies and tactics form the core of these studies. These strategies are categorized into three main groups: ethnic entrepreneurship, transnational entrepreneurship, and agent-based or shared strategies Ethnic entrepreneurship involves immigrants starting businesses in the host country based on shared ethnic backgrounds. Ethnic support mechanisms in the destination country are shaped by common identity and social trust, often reinforced through dense industrial clusters and kinship and friendship networks. Key strategies include increasing ethnic social participation, leveraging cultural capital, preserving ethnic values, selecting locations in ethnic neighborhoods, and settling in dense clusters. However, ethnic networks can also have restrictive roles. Therefore, transnational entrepreneurship is often considered a key strategy to overcome these limitations. Transnational entrepreneurship involves diasporic networks that operate beyond borders, simultaneously present in multiple spaces, and recognized as a structural and operational advantage. Key strategies include utilizing pre-migration capital, leveraging diaspora networks by attracting and transferring resources and skills, and creating multilayered networks to exit ethnic networks.Agent-based and shared strategies include individual empowerment in hard and soft skills, branding, selecting destinations with open policies, product diversification, and utilizing unforeseen opportunities.
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