When forced migrants go home: The journey of returnee entrepreneurs in the post-conflict economies of Bosnia & Herzegovina and Kosovo
- Author(s)
- N. Williams, Emmanuella Plakoyiannaki, B. Krasniqi
- Abstract
This paper examines forced migrants who fled their homeland due to conflict and later returned to undertake entrepreneurial activity. Drawing on qualitative interviews with returnees to Bosnia & Herzegovina and Kosovo, we contribute to the process-oriented view of entrepreneurship by showing how forced migration leads to historical bonds to the homeland which influence resultant entrepreneurial activity. We extend literature on institutional voids by demonstrating that they can be enabling, with formal voids substituted by informal networks. Returnees rely on informal ties due to mistrust of formal ties, and these are strengthened by shared experiences of conflict and lead to activities which satisfy non- monetary gains rather than profit.
- Organisation(s)
- Department of Marketing and International Business
- External organisation(s)
- University of Leeds, University of Prishtina
- Journal
- Entrepreneurship: Theory and Practice
- Volume
- 47
- Pages
- 430-460
- No. of pages
- 31
- ISSN
- 1042-2587
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1177/10422587221082678
- Publication date
- 2022
- Peer reviewed
- Yes
- Austrian Fields of Science 2012
- 502054 Entrepreneurship, 502016 SME-research
- Keywords
- ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Economics and Econometrics, Business and International Management
- Portal url
- https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/ce7a846a-070b-4fa7-8f3e-03e9816220da