Re-embedding the ethnic business agenda

Abstract

There has been a flurry of interest from academics and policy-makers alike in the growing phenomenon of ethnic minority entrepreneurship. Despite theoretical advances, there is a lingering tendency to isolate ethnic minority enterprise from the context in which it operates. This article argues for a re-embedding of ethnic minority owned firms in a broader, and longer established, tradition of small business ownership. A more `integrated' analysis is required for an adequate exposition of the different trajectories of ethnic minorities in self-employment, and also for the growing number of policy-makers engaged in supporting such businesses.