Zgu a, Ion Daniel; G osu, Raluca Ma iana; Uysal, Özgü Özmen; Si bu, Mi ela
Oc a ia
A icle
En ep eneu ial in en ions among e ugees: The case o
Sy ian e ugees in Tü kiye
Am i ea u Economic
P o ided in Coope a ion wi h:
The Bucha es Uni e si y o Economic S udies
Sugges ed Ci a ion: Zgu a, Ion Daniel; G osu, Raluca Ma iana; Uysal, Özgü Özmen; Si bu, Mi ela
Oc a ia (2025) : En ep eneu ial in en ions among e ugees: The case o Sy ian e ugees in Tü kiye,
Am i ea u Economic, ISSN 2247-9104, The Bucha es Uni e si y o Economic S udies, Bucha es ,
Vol. 27, Iss. 70, pp. 1221-1236,
h ps://doi.o g/10.24818/EA/2025/70/1221
This Ve sion is a ailable a :
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Am i ea u Economic ecommends
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Vol. 27 • No. 70 • Augus 2025 1221
ENTREPRENEURIAL INTENTIONS AMONG REFUGEES.
THE CASE OF SYRIAN REFUGEES IN TÜRKIYE
Ion Daniel Zgu a1, Raluca Ma iana G osu2
*
, Ozgu Ozmen3
and Mi ela Oc a ia Si bu4
1)2)4)Bucha es Uni e si y o Economic S udies, Romania
3)Independen esea che , İs anbul, Tü kiye
Please ci e his a icle as:
Zgu a, I.D., G osu, R.M., Ozmen, O. and Si bu, M.O., 2025.
En ep eneu ial In en ions among Re ugees. The Case o
Sy ian Re ugees in Tü kiye. Am i ea u Economic, 27(70),
pp. 1221-1236.
DOI: h ps://doi.o g/10.24818/EA/2025/70/1221
A icle His o y
Recei ed: 22 Ma ch 2025
Re ised: 12 May 2025
Accep ed:18 June 2025
Abs ac
Tackling an unde -explo ed opic in he scien i ic li e a u e, wi h high po en ial and o
socie al ele ance, he pape aims a in es iga ing he en ep eneu ial in en ions o Sy ian
e ugees in Tü kiye. D awing om he expe ience o 50 in e iewees, he esea ch e eals a
popula ion wi h s ong en ep eneu ial in en ions, o en d i en by pas business expe ience,
a desi e o au onomy, and he need o build a s able u u e in he hos coun y. Despi e
gene ally low le els o o mal educa ion and limi ed ole models, many in e iewees
possessed signi ican sel -employmen expe ience and demons a ed esilience, mo i a ion,
and a posi i e ou look on isk and challenges. En ep eneu ship was b oadly pe cei ed no
only as a pa hway o inancial independence bu also as a means o achie ing social s a us
and long- e m s abili y wi hin he hos socie y. Howe e , sys emic ba ie s, such as es ic ed
access o capi al, language obs acles, and insu icien ins i u ional suppo , emain signi ican
challenges. A smalle g oup wi hin he in e iewed sample exp essed esis ance o
en ep eneu ship, ci ing psychological dis ess, a p e e ence o secu i y and s abili y o e
unce ain y, and lack o sel -con idence o expe ience. The pape adds o he li e a u e, a he
same ime, se ing guidelines o cohe en policies aimed a e ugees’ in eg a ion.
Keywo ds: en ep eneu ial in en ions, e ugee, e ugee en ep eneu ship, Sy ian, Tü kiye.
JEL Classi ica ion: L26
*
Co esponding au ho , Raluca Ma iana G osu – e-mail: aluca.pe [email protected]. o
This is an Open Access a icle dis ibu ed unde he e ms o he C ea i e Commons
A ibu ion License, which pe mi s un es ic ed use, dis ibu ion, and ep oduc ion in
any medium, p o ided he o iginal wo k is p ope ly ci ed. © 2025 The Au ho (s).
AE
En ep eneu ial In en ions among Re ugees.
The Case o Sy ian Re ugees in Tü kiye
1222 Am i ea u Economic
In oduc ion
In ecen yea s, he wo ld has wi nessed a su ge in a med con lic s, poli ical ins abili y, c ises
o all na u e, and clima e-induced disas e s. Socie ies wo ldwide a e acing unp eceden ed
challenges. The in ensi ied human displacemen on a global scale is one o hem. The global
e ugee popula ion has eached un i alled le els. Acco ding o he la es epo s, 43.7 million
e ugees we e globally egis e ed a he end o June 2024 (UNHCR, 2025a). Re ugees a e
“people o ced o lee hei own coun y and seek sa e y in ano he coun y; hey a e unable
o e u n o hei own coun y because o ea ed pe secu ion as a esul o who hey a e, wha
hey belie e in o say, o because o a med con lic , iolence o se ious public diso de ”
(UNHCR, 2025a). Re ugee mo emen s a e inc easingly complex, a ec ing bo h de eloping
and de eloped na ions as ongoing c ises in Sy ia, A ghanis an o Sou h Sudan con inue o
gene a e mass displacemen (Wo ld Bank G oup, 2017). No o men ion he newly added
con lic a eas and hei associa ed c ises, such as Uk aine and Pales ine.
E en i , usually, e ugees see he hos coun ies as ga eways o mo e de eloped economies,
mos o hem do no u he mig a e, placing p essu es on in as uc u e and social cohesion,
and posing many economic challenges o he hos coun ies. Fo example, e ugees can
c ea e imbalances on he labou ma ke and d i e up he demand o and cos o essen ial
goods and se ices, including ood, housing, educa ion, o heal hca e (Tumen, 2016; Baloch
e al., 2017). Con as ingly, e ugees migh ha e a posi i e e ec on he hos economy, oo.
Fo example, hey can s imula e long- e m in es men , add ess demog aphic sho alls,
in eg a e in o he labou ma ke – especially, by o e ing cheap labou – ac i ely pa icipa e
as consume s and p oduce s in he economy, con ibu e o p ice d ops – especially o i ems
p oduced in in o mal labou -in ensi e indus ies – o suppo bila e al ade wi h hei
coun ies o o igin (Shelli o, 2016; Tumen, 2016; Baloch e al., 2017).
One special means o add essing di e se challenges posed by e ugee mo emen s and, a
he same ime, o enhance hei posi i e e ec s, migh eside in en ep eneu ship. This can
be a eal li eline o e ugees, a pa hway o ebuilding li es and egaining au onomy, a he
same ime, con ibu ing o he de elopmen o hos socie ies (Luseno and Kolade, 2022).
Mo e han a me e economic ac i i y, en ep eneu ship se es as a key ac o o e ugees o
o e come ba ie s o employmen and achie e economic independence, pa icula ly when
aced wi h disc imina ion, language ba ie s, and limi ed ecogni ion o p io quali ica ions
(Al awadieh, Ka ayilan and Ce in, 2019; Zighan, 2021). Fu he mo e, om a
mac oeconomic pe spec i e, e ugee en ep eneu ship can ha e an impo an con ibu ion o
he sus ainable g ow h and social and economic de elopmen o he hos coun y (Zalka ,
Ba h and Rashid, 2024).
In he pas wo decades, e ugee en ep eneu ship aised he a en ion o bo h schola s and
policymake s. A ema kable su ge in in e es was seen du ing he mid-2010s e ugee c isis,
due o he in e nal con lic s in Sy ia and I aq, ollowed by con inued displacemen om
coun ies wo ldwide, ecen ly, om A ghanis an and Uk aine because o poli ical ins abili y
and wa (Newman, Macaulay and Dunwoodie, 2023). Academic in e es in e ugee
en ep eneu ship has inc eased, possibly, due o i s po en ial o acili a ing indi iduals’ socio-
economic in eg a ion and empowe men , as well as o con ibu ing o he socio-economic
and cul u al de elopmen o he hos coun y. Howe e , his is no a well-de eloped esea ch
a ea, ye wi h a lo o esea ch po en ial, wo h explo ing (Abebe, 2023). One example in his
sense is ep esen ed by he in es iga ion o he en ep eneu ial in en ions o e ugees, an
impo an means o explaining and p edic ing en ep eneu ship (K uege J , Reilly and
Am i ea u Economic ecommends
AE
Vol. 27 • No. 70 • Augus 2025 1223
Ca s ud, 2000). Re ugees’ en ep eneu ial in en ions a e in luenced by mul iple, complex
and in e ela ed dimensions, combining psychological ac o s, social aspec s and economic
pe spec i es, all amed wi hin he ins i u ional con ex (Newman, Macaulay and
Dunwoodie, 2023). Tackling e ugees’ en ep eneu ial in en ions can gene a e key
in o ma ion which can signi ican ly in o m policies, p og ams and in e en ion ac ions aimed
a ensu ing and/o enhancing e ugees’ socio-economic in eg a ion.
In such a con ex , he p esen pape aims a in es iga ing he en ep eneu ial in en ions o
Sy ian e ugees – one o he wo ld’s la ges e ugees popula ions (USA o UNHCR, 2025)
– in Tü kiye – one o he la ges hos coun ies o e ugees wo ldwide (UNHCR, 2025b). To
his end, he pape is de eloped ollowing quali a i e esea ch consis ing in ca ying ou
semi-s uc u ed in e iews wi h 50 Sy ian e ugees in İs anbul. In a sys ema ic way, he nex
sec ion o he pape ou lines he heo e ical amewo k o he esea ch, ocusing on a
li e a u e e iew o e he en ep eneu ial in en ions o e ugees. This is ollowed by he
p esen a ion o he main me hodological aspec s speci ic o he esea ch and i s main
ou comes and associa ed discussions. The pape ends wi h a se ies o inal conside a ions.
1. En ep eneu ial in en ions o e ugees: li e a u e e iew
Immig an en ep eneu ship, e e ing o he p ocess o ini ia ing and de eloping a business
by immig an s in hei hos coun y (Basu, 2006), bene i s o a as , s ill bu geoning li e a u e
(Ozmen, G osu and D agusin, 2021). Con as ingly, when e e ing o e ugee
en ep eneu ship as a pa icula a ea o s udy wi hin he immig an en ep eneu ship ield,
he li e a u e is no as as ; his “eme ging esea ch s eam is ma ked by agmen a ion and
incohe ence” (Abebe, 2023, p.315). Na owing he a ea mo e, o he en ep eneu ial
in en ions o e ugees, he li e a u e ou lines scan y s udies. Howe e , his a ea is inc easingly
ca ching he in e es o schola s o esea ch.
Recen scien i ic esea ch ocused on he in es iga ion o he mul i ace ed ac o s shaping
en ep eneu ial in en ions among e ugees, highligh ing a nuanced in e play be ween
psychological, social, and ins i u ional dimensions ac oss a ious geog aphic and cul u al
con ex s. Fo example, Da id e al. (2024) compa ed he en ep eneu ial in en ions o
Uk ainian wa e ugees in Poland wi h hose o p e-wa Uk ainian economic mig an s,
demons a ing ha gende signi ican ly su passes mig a ion s a us in p edic ing
en ep eneu ial inclina ions.
Complemen ing his, esea ch by Baluku (2024a, 2024b) and Baluku, Wambi, and O o
(2025) ocused on psychological de e minan s among e ugees in Uganda. De eloped based
on he Theo y o Planned Beha iou – TPB (Ajzen, 1991), hei s udies ad oca e mind ulness
as a c ucial ac o posi i ely in luencing en ep eneu ial in en ions. Fu he mo e,
psychological capi al media es he ela ionship be ween mind ulness and en ep eneu ial
in en ions, while occupa ional u u e ime pe spec i e mode a es his ela ionship,
unde sco ing he impo ance o psychological con ex s in s imula ing e ugee
en ep eneu ship. Addi ionally, posi i e pe cep ions o he hos communi y and social capi al
s eng hen pe sonal e icacy and en ep eneu ial ale ness, con ibu ing o pe cei ed
en ep eneu ial success (Baluku, Wambi, and O o, 2025).
Expanding his psychological amewo k, Noo bakhsh, Teixei a, and B ochado (2024)
applied he unde dog en ep eneu ship heo y in hei analysis o e ugee en ep eneu ship in
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En ep eneu ial In en ions among Re ugees.
The Case o Sy ian Re ugees in Tü kiye
1224 Am i ea u Economic
Po ugal. Thei indings sugges ha psychological esilience and ad e si y expe ienced by
e ugees signi ican ly heigh en en ep eneu ial mo i a ion. In he same line, Welsh e al.
(2022) e eal ha Sy ian e ugees in Jo dan exhibi s ong en ep eneu ial in en ions mainly
d i en by sel -employmen desi abili y, isk ole ance, and sel -e icacy, signi ican ly
di e ing om Jo danian na ionals.
Fu he explo ing mig a ion’s psychological implica ions, Mawson and Kasem (2019)
examined en ep eneu ial in en ions among ecen ly a i ed Sy ian e ugees in he Uni ed
Kingdom (UK), ou lining ha indi idual mig a ion expe iences signi ican ly shape
mo i a ion and con idence in hei en ep eneu ial capabili ies. Complemen ing his
pe spec i e, Laza czyk-Bilal and Glinka (2021) in es iga ed en ep eneu ial in en ions
among highly skilled e ugee women in Sweden, emphasizing he impo ance o p io
en ep eneu ial and leade ship expe ience, ole models, and suppo i e ins i u ional
en i onmen s. Thei esea ch ad oca es ha en ep eneu ial in en ions a e signi ican ly
shaped by he social and p o essional con ex s, a he same ime a guing ha gende alone is
no a decisi e ac o .
Pe sonali y ai s ha e also been app oached in he scien i ic li e a u e. Fo example, he
s udy de eloped by Obschonka, Hahn and Bajwa (2018) on Sy ian e ugees in Ge many
ou lines he oles o sel -e icacy, esilience and en ep eneu ial ale ness in os e ing
en ep eneu ial in en ions and b oade ca ee adap abili y. En ep eneu ial ale ness is
highligh ed as a key media o in his ea ly in eg a ion p ocess, linking pe sonali y ai s o
en ep eneu ial in en ions and b oade adap abili y, signi ican ly in luencing success ul
in eg a ion.
Also, ins i u ional dimensions we e explo ed in he scien i ic li e a u e (Abou Chak a, Al
Ja dali and Abdallah, 2022). Thei esea ch among Pales inian e ugees in Lebanon e eals
ha cogni i e and no ma i e ins i u ional dimensions ha e a a g ea e impac han
egula o y aspec s in shaping social en ep eneu ial in en ions among e ugees.
Collec i ely, hese s udies p o ide an in eg a i e iew, highligh ing how psychological
esilience, social con ex s, and ins i u ional en i onmen s shape he en ep eneu ial in en ions
and successes o e ugee popula ions. Howe e , o ge a mo e comp ehensi e iew o e he
phenomenon, especially on he ac o s in luencing he en ep eneu ial in en ions, u he
s udies a e needed (Abebe, 2023) and he one pu o wa d in he p esen pape aims o b ing
a con ibu ion in his sense.
2. Resea ch me hodology
The de eloped esea ch was based on a heo e ically g ounded esea ch ques ion, wi h
p ac ical, socie al implica ions: To wha ex en do e ugees exhibi en ep eneu ial in en ions
in he hos coun y, and wha ac o s in luence hese in en ions? To p ope ly answe he
esea ch ques ion, aking in o conside a ion he pa icula case o Sy ian e ugees in Tü kiye,
he esea ch aimed a in es iga ing hei en ep eneu ial in en ions, de ined as “a sel -
acknowledged con ic ion by a pe son ha hey in end o se up a new business en u e and
consciously plan o do so a some poin in he u u e” (Thompson, 2009, p.676). In a mo e
speci ic ega d, he ollowing esea ch objec i es (RO) we e a ge ed:
Am i ea u Economic ecommends
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Vol. 27 • No. 70 • Augus 2025 1225
RO1. In es iga ing key ac o s ha in luence Sy ian e ugees’ in en ions o pu sue
en ep eneu ship in Tü kiye.
RO2. S udying Sy ian e ugees’ a i udes owa d en ep eneu ship.
RO3. Analysing Sy ian e ugees’ p io exposu e and social in luence on en ep eneu ial
aspi a ions.
RO4. Iden i ying Sy ian e ugees’ pe cei ed ba ie s and enable s a ec ing he
easibili y o hei en ep eneu ial ac i i y in Tü kiye.
The de eloped esea ch was a ield one, quali a i e in na u e, consis ing in ca ying ou semi-
s uc u ed in e iews wi h 50 Sy ian e ugees in İs anbul, Tü kiye, du ing la e 2023. All he
in e iewees emig a ed because o he wa , in di e en pe iods o ime. In he in e iewed
sample we e 39 males and 11 emales. In wha ega ds hei age, 11 we e unde 20, 26
be ween 20 and 30 yea s old, 10 be ween 31 and 40 yea s old, 2 be ween 41 and 50 yea s
old, and only one was a senio , espec i ely a male aged o e 50, mo e p ecisely 60. In e ms
o educa ional a ainmen , low o mal educa ion was e ealed by he in es iga ed sample:
only one in e iewee was holding a PhD, six a bachelo ’s deg ee, i e g adua ed high school,
27 g adua ed jus he lowe seconda y school, while he emaining 11 did no ha e any o m
o educa ion.
In se ing up he esea ch, h ee main heo ies we e app oached: TPB (Ajzen, 1991), he
En ep eneu ial E en s Model - EEM (Shape o and Sokol 1982) and he human capi al heo y
(Becke , 1964). One o he mos used heo ies in s udying en ep eneu ial in en ions (Lihua,
2022), he TPB cons i u ed he ounda ion o he esea ch design. This, along wi h he EEM
ep esen wo o he mos used heo ies in in es iga ing e ugees’ en ep eneu ial in en ions,
oo (Newman, Macaulay and Dunwoodie, 2023). Fu he mo e, as some o he aspec s wi h
po en ial in luence on he mani es a ion o en ep eneu ial in en ions amid e ugees, such as
hei p e ious en ep eneu ial expe ience in hei o igin coun y, we e aimed o be ackled
du ing he esea ch, his was also de eloped on he p emises o he human capi al heo y. To
his end, in co ela ion wi h he esea ch aim and objec i es an in e iew guide was de eloped
( able no. 1). As, on a e age, e ugees ha e less educa ional expe ience (Conno , 2010),
ques ions we e o mula ed in a e y simple way.
Table no. 1. In e iew guide and i s connec ion o he esea ch objec i es
and heo e ical backg ound
RO
Theo e ical ounda ion
Associa ed ques ion
RO1. In es iga ing key
ac o s ha in luence
Sy ian e ugees’
in en ions o pu sue
en ep eneu ship in
Tü kiye.
SEE – Pe cei ed desi abili y
(desi e o become an en ep eneu
– emo ionally and socially;
e lec ion o e en ep eneu ship
as an a ac i e ca ee pa h)
TPB – A i ude owa d he
beha iou (pe cep ion o he
pe sonal desi abili y o becoming
an en ep eneu ).
- Wha do you in end o do in he
hos coun y o achie e success?
- How a ac i e is i o you o
s a a business o build a u u e
in he hos coun y? Mo i a e
you answe .
RO2. S udying Sy ian
e ugees’ a i udes
owa d
en ep eneu ship.
TPB – A i ude owa d he
beha iou (how posi i ely o
nega i ely he e ugees e alua e
en ep eneu ship) and Pe cei ed
- Would you be willing o isk
you possessions o s a a
business?
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En ep eneu ial In en ions among Re ugees.
The Case o Sy ian Re ugees in Tü kiye
1226 Am i ea u Economic
RO
Theo e ical ounda ion
Associa ed ques ion
beha iou al con ol (pe cep ion
o hei abili y o ca y ou
en ep eneu ial ac i i ies);
SEE – P opensi y o ac (pe sonal
endency o ac on decisions) and
Pe cei ed easibili y (con idence
in he abili y o become an
en ep eneu ).
- Wha is he iskies hing you
ha e e e done? Do you
conside s a ing a business as
isky as ha ?
- Suppose you ecei e 50,000
eu o. Wha would you do wi h
i ?
- Do you like challenges?
Desc ibe wha you eel when
you ace a challenge.
RO3. Analysing Sy ian
e ugees’ p io exposu e
and social in luence on
en ep eneu ial
aspi a ions.
TPB – Subjec i e no ms (suppo
om amily, pee s, socie y);
SEE – Pe cei ed easibili y
(con idence in he abili y o
become an en ep eneu );
Human Capi al Theo y
(en ep eneu ial in en ion is
in luenced by knowledge, skills,
and p io expe ience).
- Wha is you educa ional
a ainmen ?
- Wha was you wo king s a us
be o e immig a ion?
- Ha e you e e had a business o
a business a emp ? I yes,
please desc ibe i .
- Ha e you e e helped someone
o s a a business? I yes,
please desc ibe he expe ience.
- Is/was he e any en ep eneu in
you amily?
RO4. Iden i ying Sy ian
e ugees’ pe cei ed
ba ie s and enable s
a ec ing he easibili y
o hei en ep eneu ial
ac i i y in Tü kiye.
TPB – Pe cei ed beha iou al
con ol (pe cep ion o he abili y
o pe o m en ep eneu ial
beha iou ; sel -e icacy,
esou ces, obs acles);
SEE – Pe cei ed easibili y
(con idence in he abili y o
become an en ep eneu ).
- How a ac i e is i o you o
s a a business o build a u u e
in he hos coun y? Mo i a e
you answe .
- Do you pe cei e any obs acles
in you po en ial en ep eneu ial
ca ee ? I yes, please explain
hem.
In e iewees we e andomly chosen, and, in some cases, he snowball sampling echnique
was also employed, mainly o inc ease he numbe o pa icipan s o he esea ch.
Pa icipa ion in he esea ch was olun a y. Pa icipan s we e no o ced o ake pa in he
in e iews; hey we e e bally in o med abou he aim and objec i es o he esea ch and
abou i s academic na u e and hey pa icipa ed only i hey wan ed o. Howe e , e en so,
many o hem we e eluc an o pa icipa e. Fo example, conside ing cul u al no ms, when
along wi h hei husbands, Sy ian women did no wan o ake pa in he esea ch.
Con as ingly, when hey we e app oached indi idually o in g oup o women, hey ha e
answe ed o he in e iew, eeling e y com o able. Also, as, on a e age, e ugees ha e less
educa ional expe ience (Conno , 2010), mos o he app oached Sy ian e ugees did no
unde s and he pu pose o hei in ol emen in he esea ch. A he beginning, mos o hem
we e eluc an o speak as hey hough ha hey we e inqui ed by public au ho i ies.
Fu he mo e, he e we e also esponden s ha , a he beginning, hough he esea ch was
ca ied ou o help hem mig a e o o he coun ies and hey we e eage o pa icipa e, e en
calling all hei iends and se ing he in e iewe s wi h ea, co ee and swee s. When
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hea ing he academic pu pose o he esea ch hey we e e y disappoin ed; s ill, hey ha e
answe ed o he in e iew. A e y common beha iou consis ed in he “he d e ec ”. Usually,
e ugees we e app oached in g oups, and less on an indi idual basis. In his case, i one
membe o he g oup was willing o pa icipa e, no ma e ha he o he s we e i s eluc an ,
hey we e ending up by pa icipa ing.
The in e iews we e de eloped ace o ace, usually on Sundays, and in places like: he
mosque; he bazaa om which he Sy ian e ugees we e buying adi ional, e hnic ood; he
pa k; on he s ee ; e hnic shops; e hnic es au an s; e hnic co ee shops. One o he au ho s
o he pape closely wo ked wi h a ansla o om I aq o de elop he in e iews in A abic.
The in e iew guide was ansla ed in o A abic and he in e iews we e ca ied ou in A abic
by he I aqi ansla o who was u he p o iding he answe s in English. No es du ing he
in e iews we e aken in English. Because o his ansla ion p ocess some biases migh ha e
a oused du ing he da a collec ion p ocedu e du ing he in e iews. Fu he mo e, answe ing
o he ques ions was gene ally pe cei ed as being e y bo ing, and in many cases,
in e iewees ha e p o ided ex emely sho (one- wo wo ds) answe s. Howe e , based on
he aken no es con en and hema ic analyses could be pe o med. Thei main ou comes a e
ou lined in he nex sec ion o he pape .
3. Resul s and discussions
En ep eneu ship is e y appealing o he in e iewed Sy ian e ugees, he as majo i y
emphasizing clea en ep eneu ial in en ions, usually mo i a ed by p e ious business
expe ience, desi e o au onomy, and o building a be e u u e in he hos coun y. The
s ong en ep eneu ial o ien a ion o he in e iewed sample suppo s p e ious s udies on he
opic, like he one de eloped by Welsh e al. (2022). In e ms o he a ge ed ield o ac i i ies
o business s a up, e y common examples o immig an -led businesses, wi h low-en y
ba ie s (Jones e al., 2014; G osu and Dinu, 2016) we e men ioned: g oce y s o es, clo hing
s o es, es au an s, co ee shops, ailo shops, hai d esse s. En ep eneu ship is e y a ac i e
o he in e iewed Sy ian e ugees, especially when acing limi ed oppo uni ies on he labou
ma ke . When asked wha hey would do i hey would ha e ecei ed 50,000 eu o, mos o
hem had a clea a i ude owa ds en ep eneu ship, business s a up and de elopmen being
common answe . Howe e , answe s like using money o hei own pe sonal in e es s,
especially o housing acquisi ion o ul illing ma iage- ela ed aspi a ions, we e also
p o ided. This migh indica e a desi e o s abili y and long- e m secu i y, a common
aspi a ion o indi iduals eco e ing om displacemen (Da ison e al., 2021).
Bo h emale and male we e in e es ed in pu suing an en ep eneu ial ca ee in he hos
coun y, ei he alone, o in pa ne ship, especially wi h a amily membe : “I wan o open up
a shop wi h my b o he s.” (male, aged 27). The in e es o emales in en ep eneu ship
consis ed in an in e es ing ac ela ed o he gende ac o e ealed by he esea ch,
speci ically o a cul u e in which he business and wo king en i onmen is male domina ed
(Tlaiss and Kause , 2019). In he in e iewed sample, he e we e some emales e y o ien ed
owa ds en ep eneu ship, highly de e mined in pu suing an en ep eneu ial ca ee : “I wan
o open up a business!” ( emale, aged 28). Howe e , he e we e also emales ollowing
adi ional no ms ha acknowledge hei oles o wi es and mo he s in he amily: “I do no
wan o do any hing in he hos coun y. I jus wan o ake ca e o my husband and kids.”
( emale, aged 33).
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En ep eneu ial In en ions among Re ugees.
The Case o Sy ian Re ugees in Tü kiye
1228 Am i ea u Economic
Usually, en ep eneu ship is pe cei ed as a means o su i al in he hos coun y, as one o
he in e iewees emphasized: “I hope ou li e will go on. Doing business is ou only chance
o su i e and o do some hing he e. I may be di icul , bu I will s a he business wi h a
pa ne .” (male, aged 23). His s a emen also ou lines o ms o necessi y-d i en
en ep eneu ship, a e y common phenomenon amid e ugees (Reis e al., 2024). Howe e ,
employmen is no dis ega ded by he in e iewed Sy ian e ugees, ei he , as a pa h o ensu e
su i al o achie e success in he hos coun y: “I I ge a good job and I wo k ha d, I can
ea n money o me and my amily.” (male, aged 30). The idea o ha d-wo king as he only o
he mos adequa e means o achie ing success in he hos coun y was equen ly
encoun e ed in he na a i es o he in e iewed Sy ian e ugees, ou lining a p agma ic
mindse shaped by economic necessi y. Ei he a ge ing employmen o opening up hei own
businesses, he in e iewed Sy ian e ugees acknowledge ha only h ough sob ie y,
ea nes ness, se iousness, and ha d wo k will make a decen li ing in hei hos coun y.
En ep eneu ship gi es e uges he oppo uni y o be e in eg a e in he hos coun y, a he
same ime, ensu ing hem he possibili y o become inancially independen , being usually
linked, in in e iewees’ pe spec i es, o good social s a us, au onomy, o long- e m success.
Howe e , some o he in e iewees see di e en obs acles in hei en ep eneu ial pa h, he
mos common being he lack o capi al/ inancial esou ces. O he ba ie s e e o language
(none o he in e iewed Sy ian e ugees knew Tu kish), lack o knowledge abou he legal
and ins i u ional en i onmen o he hos coun y, lack o suppo , especially om he
s a e/go e nmen al agencies, and unce ain y. These ba ie s a e e y common in e ugee
en ep eneu ship (Reis e al., 2024) and hey make some e ugees o ques ion hei choice o
en ep eneu ship as a ca ee pa h: “[…] Maybe yes, maybe no . I do no know i I would like
o ha e my own business. I depends e y much on i I ge suppo om he s a e and i I lea n
he language.” (male, aged 19). Answe s using wo ds/exp essions like “maybe,” “ he e is a
possibili y,” o “I don’ know” indica ed ambi alence o indecision. The o ien a ion owa ds
en ep eneu ship ma ked by indecision was, gene ally, condi ioned by, a leas , one ac o ,
usually in he o m o o e coming he pe cei ed ba ie s: “I will s a a business in
comme ce, a e I lea n Tu kish.” ( emale, aged 25); “I wan o open up a ac o y, bu I need
money, and I need o s udy and unde s and he legisla ion”. (male, aged 34); “Yes, i I ge
money, I will s a a business.” (male, aged 25). Fu he mo e, some o he in e iewees we e
app oaching ini ial employmen in he hos coun y as a p ope means o o e coming
di e en ba ie s ha hey pe cei ed in ela ion o en ep eneu ship. En e ing i s he labou
ma ke was ega ded as a way o ga he money o business s a up, o acqui e knowledge,
especially abou he economic en i onmen o he hos coun y and he language, and, e en
o de elop a social ne wo k: “I wan o ha e a job, o wo k, o ea n money o s a a
business.” (male, aged 24). Also, educa ion, ei he o mal o in o mal, was pe cei ed by he
in e iewed Sy ian e ugees essen ial o in eg a ion and success. Language lea ning was
speci ically men ioned, sugges ing ha e ugees ecognize he impo ance o communica ion
skills o accessing oppo uni ies in he hos coun y: “I wan o s udy! I need o lea n
Tu kish!” (male, aged 18).
Hesi a ion o pu sue an en ep eneu ial ca ee was also p esen amid he in e iewed
e ugees, al hough mos o hem we e eady o p oceed in en ep eneu ship wi hou any majo
conce ns. Many clea answe s o simply “yes” when asked i hey would like o s a a
business in he hos coun y we e ecei ed om he in e iewed e ugees. Gene ally,
Am i ea u Economic ecommends
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Vol. 27 • No. 70 • Augus 2025 1235
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