Examining of immigrant entrepreneurship studies in international literature by using social network analysis

Abstract

Immigrant entrepreneurship is increasingly becoming part of the global economy which is garnering more attention from different academic disciplines. The increase in numbers of immigrants all over the world, especially in recent times, has also led to an increase in the immigrant entrepreneurship. Socio-cultural and economic impacts of this increase begin to draw attention of researchers studying the economy and business. However, analyzing the studies about immigrant entrepreneurship phenomenon systematically is quite limited. In this context, the aim of the study is to reveal knowledge network of immigrant entrepreneurship and show slightly-used paths of this field as suggestions for further studies. To achieve this aim, social network analysis (SNA) providing linkages and connections about immigrant entrepreneurship is used. Likewise SNA method is commonly used in scientific researches to provide a powerful set of tools for describing and linking information. Articles about immigrant entrepreneurship published in journals which are involved in SSCI are evaluated and UCINET software is used for visualizing our research through keywords. The study is expected to contribute to the business literature generally and entrepreneurship literature specifically and lead to researchers who aim to study the immigrant entrepreneurship by means of focusing on gaps and variables which are not discoursed adequately in the field.