Introduction: Re-positioning migrant entrepreneurs: A situated and relational approach to practices and policies

Abstract

In 2024, international migrants numbered 304 million, nearly double the 1990 figure, emphasising the urgency of understanding migrant entrepreneurship in a global context. While much scholarship acknowledges individual traits such as cultural orientation, human capital or risk tolerance, it often assumes the neutrality of the institutional and political systems migrants must navigate. This special issue challenges such individualistic framings by foregrounding migration regimes – the political and regulatory processes governing mobility, settlement and economic participation – as central to shaping entrepreneurial opportunities. Across six contributions, the issue critically examines how support systems, policies and institutional practices embed migrant entrepreneurship within structural inequalities. The articles collectively highlight how access to markets, technologies and entrepreneurial ecosystems is mediated by intersectional factors including race, gender, legal status and socio-economic background. Rather than celebrating migrant resilience or focusing narrowly on venture outcomes, the articles explore how institutional intermediaries, support programs and policy environments both enable and constrain entrepreneurial possibilities. By situating migrant entrepreneurship within broader socio-political and regulatory contexts, the special issue reorients the field away from overly individualistic narratives and toward structurally informed perspectives. In doing so, it advances theoretical coherence, highlights the lived experiences of migrant entrepreneurs and provides policy-relevant insights for designing support initiatives that recognise and address systemic inequalities.