Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Immigrant Entrepreneurship and Resilience during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Case of Croatia

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Towards Economic Inclusion in the Western Balkans

Part of the book series: New Perspectives on South-East Europe ((NPSE))

  • 112 Accesses

Abstract

This chapter explores the resilience of immigrant entrepreneurs in Croatia during the COVID-19 pandemic that coincided with some natural disasters and changes in immigration legislation. It identifies the formal and informal barriers facing immigrant entrepreneurs in Croatia, their understandings of and attitudes towards resilience, and the activities through which they practise resilience. This topic is globally relevant for several reasons. First, the entrepreneurial world is likely to experience an extended period of quite frequent adverse events, rather than an extended ‘new normal’. Second, global migration is on the rise, as is immigrant entrepreneurship. Third, the Western Balkan region is considered a future depopulation ‘hot spot’, and immigrant entrepreneurs may fill some gaps in the business environment. Finally, the chapter contributes to research on entrepreneurship and immigrant entrepreneurship by offering an integrated approach to understanding entrepreneurial resilience in general.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    Available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8t2AA-6UXc.

  2. 2.

    These factors have also been recognised by Ayala and Manzano (2014). Moreover, they even fulfil a longer list of resilience factors compiled by Portuguez Castro and Gómez Zermeño (2020) and reveal the understanding of resilience as structured by Conz et al. (2020).

  3. 3.

    That was also recognised by Šimić Banović et al. (2022) for the period before COVID-19 pandemic, and for Portuguese immigrant entrepreneurs by Szczygiel et al. (2020).

References

  • Alonso, A. D., Kok, S. K., Bressan, A., O’Shea, M., Sakellarios, N., Koresis, A., Buitrago Solis, M. A., & Santoni, L. J. (2020). COVID-19, aftermath, impacts, and hospitality firms: An international perspective. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 91, 102654.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Alpeza, M., Škokić, V., & Šimić Banović, R. (2022). Izazovi istraživanja migrantskog poduzetništva u Hrvatskoj: Što i kako dalje? Migracije i identitet: kultura, ekonomija, država. Zagreb: IMIN i HAZU.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ayala, J. C., & Manzano, G. (2014). The resilience of the entrepreneur. Influence on the success of the business. A longitudinal analysis. Journal of Economic Psychology, 42, 126–135.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Azoulay, P., Jones, B., Kim, J. D., & Miranda, J. (2020). Immigration and entrepreneurship in the United States. Working Paper 27778. Cambridge MA: National Bureau of Economic Research.

    Google Scholar 

  • Beland, L. P., Fakorede, O., & Mikola, D. (2020). Short-term effect of COVID-19 on self-employed workers in Canada. Canadian Public Policy, 46(S1), S66–S81.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blackburn, R., & Stokes, D. (2000). Breaking down the barriers: using focus groups to research small and mediumsized enterprises. International Small Business Journal, 19(1), 44–67.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bradbury, P. (2020) Curry Bowl Zagreb Celebrates 5Years with Free Food for Healthcare Heroes. https://www.total-croatia-news.com/lifestyle/48687-curry-bowlzagreb

  • Brzozowski, J., Šimić Banović, R., & Alpeza, M. (2021). Overcoming constraints to immigrant entrepreneurship in Croatia: The role of formal and informal institutions. Post-Communist Economies (online first). https://doi.org/10.1080/14631377.2021.1928825

  • Canadian Women’s Chamber of Commerce and Dream Legacy Foundation. (2020). Falling through the cracks. Immediate needs of Canada’s underrepresented founders. https://canwcc.ca/wpcontent/uploads/2020/05/Falling-through-the-Cracks_CanWCC_May2020v19.pdf

  • Čapo, J. (2019). Economic activities and agency of “love-driven” international migrants in the city of Zagreb. In M. Rajković Iveta, P. Kelemen, & D. Župarić-Iljić (Eds.), Contemporary migration trends and flows on the territory of Southeast Europe (pp. 195–212). Filozofski fakultet. https://openbooks.ffzg.unizg.hr/index.php/FFpress/catalog/view/35/44/1824-1

    Google Scholar 

  • Čapo, J., & Kelemen, P. (2018). Mixing ethnic and non-ethnic economic strategies: Migrant entrepreneurs in Zagreb. Narodna Umjetnost, 55(2), 29–56. https://doi.org/10.15176/vol55no202

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Castles, S., & Miller, M. J. (2009). The age of migration: International population movements in the modern world (4th ed.). Palgrave Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Conz, E., Lamb, P. W., & De Massis, A. (2020). Practicing resilience in family firms: An investigation through phenomenography. Journal of Family Business Strategy, 11(2), 100355. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfbs.2020.100355

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dahles, H., & Susilowati, T. P. (2015). Business resilience in times of growth and crisis. Annals of Tourism Research, 51, 34–50.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dai, R., Hu, J., & Zhang, X. (2020). The impact of coronavirus on China’s SMEs: Findings from the Enterprise Survey for Innovation and Entrepreneurship in China. Washington, DC: Center for Global Development.

    Google Scholar 

  • David, A., Schäfer, S., & Terstriep, J. (2021). Characteristics of migrant entrepreneurs: Asset in times of crisis? Forschung Aktuell, No. 01/2021. Institut Arbeit und Technik (IAT), Gelsenkirchen. https://www.econstor.eu/bitstream/10419/231383/1/1749298260.pdf

  • Eisenhardt, K. (1989). Building theories from case study research. The Academy of Management Review, 14(4):532.

    Google Scholar 

  • European Commission. (2021). Annual Report on European SMEs 2020/2021. Digitalisation of SMEs. SME Performance Review 2020/2021. https://ec.europa.eu/docsroom/documents/46062

  • King, R. (2018). Context-based qualitative research and multi-sited migration studies in Europe. In R. Zapata-Barrero & E. Yalaz (Eds.), Qualitative research in European migration studies (IMISCOE Research Series). Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Korber, S., & McNaughton, R. B. (2018). Resilience and entrepreneurship: A systematic literature review. International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, 24(7), 1129–1154.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kuckertz, A., Brändle, L., Gaudig, A., Hinderer, S., Reyes, C. A. M., Prochotta, A., Steinbrink, K. M., & Berger, E. S. (2020). Startups in times of crisis—A rapid response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Business Venturing Insights, 13, e00169.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry (Vol. 75). Newbury Park, CA, Sage. Stenbacka, C. (2001). Qualitative research requires quality concepts of its own. Management Decision, Vol. 39 No. 7, pp. 551–556. https://doi.org/10.1108/EUM0000000005801.

  • OECD. (2020). What is the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on immigrants and their children? Paris: Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.

    Google Scholar 

  • OECD. (2021). An in-depth analysis of one year of SME and entrepreneurship policy responses to COVID-19: Lessons learned for the path to recovery. OECD SME and Entrepreneurship Papers No. 25. Paris: OECD Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • OECD/European Commission. (2021). The missing entrepreneurs 2021: Policies for inclusive entrepreneurship and self-employment. OECD Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Portuguez Castro, M., Gómez Zermeño, M. G. (2020) Being an entrepreneur post-COVID-19 – resilience in times of crisis: a systematic literature review, Journal of Entrepreneurship in Emerging Economies, DOI 10.1108/JEEE-07-2020-0246

    Google Scholar 

  • Prah, D., & Sibiri, H. (2020). The resilience of African migrant entrepreneurs in China under COVID-19. Journal of Entrepreneurship in Emerging Economies, 13(5), 1119–1133.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Prskalo, M. E., Troskot, Z., & Šimić Banović, R. (2022). Iseljavanje medicinskog osoblja: pravni i socioekonomski aspekti RH naspram EU. Migracije i identitet: kultura, ekonomija, država. Zagreb: IMIN i HAZU.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ritchie, J., & Spencer, L. (1994). Qualitative data analysis for applied policy research. In A. Bryman & B. Burgess (Eds.), Analyzing qualitative data. Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sak, G., Kaymaz, T., Kadkoy, O., & Kenanoglu, M. (2018). Forced migrants: Labour market integration and entrepreneurship. Economics: The Open-Access, Open-Assessment E-Journal, 12(2018-32), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.5018/economics-ejournal.ja.2018-32

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sarkar, S., & Clegg, S. R. (2021). Resilience in a time of contagion: Lessons from small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Change Management, 21(2), 242–267.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shepherd, D. A. (2020). COVID 19 and entrepreneurship: Time to pivot? Journal of Management Studies, 57(8), 1750–1753.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Šimić Banović, R., Škokić, V., & Alpeza, M. (2022). Informal networks among immigrant entrepreneurs: Case of Croatia. In A. Polese (Ed.), Informality, labour mobility and precariousness: Supplementing the state for the invisible and the vulnerable (pp. 95–133). Palgrave Macmillan.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Škokić, V. (2021). Medijski prikaz imigrantskog poduzetništva u RH. Migracije i identitet: kultura, ekonomija, država. Zagreb: IMIN i HAZU.

    Google Scholar 

  • Strauss, A., & Corbin, J. (1998). Basics of Qualitative Research: Techniques and Procedures for Developing Grounded Theory. Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Szczygiel, N., Nunes, C., & Ramos, D. (2020). Social support in migrant entrepreneurship before and during the coronavirus crisis. Proceedings of the European Conference on Innovation and Entrepreneurship (pp. 659–665).

    Google Scholar 

  • Theodos, B., González, J., & Park, J. (2021). Supporting Latino and immigrant entrepreneurs in a time of crisis. Washington, DC: Urban Institute.

    Google Scholar 

  • Troskot, Z., Prskalo, M. E., & Šimić Banović, R. (2019). Ključne odrednice iseljavanja visokokvalificiranog stanovništva: slučaj Hrvatske s komparativnim osvrtom na nove članice EU-a. Zbornik radova Pravnog fakulteta u Splitu, 56(4), 877–904. https://doi.org/10.31141/zrpfs.2019.56.134.877

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • WEF. (2020). This chart shows how much more common natural disasters are becoming. Geneva: World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/09/natural-disasters-global-risks-2019

Download references

Acknowledgements

This chapter is a part of the Project ‘Institutional support to the immigrant entrepreneurs in Croatia: Socioeconomic and legal aspects’ funded by the University of Zagreb (short-term research grants obtained in 2020 and 2021). The authors would like to thank the respondents for their participation in our research and student assistants Karla Anić, Matea Nikolić and Doroteja Horvat for their research help.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Law, Department of Economics, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia

    Ružica Šimić Banović

  2. Faculty of Economics, Business and Tourism, University of Split, Split, Croatia

    Vlatka Škokić

  3. Faculty of Economics & Business, Department of Economic Theory, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia

    Valentina Vučković

  4. Economic Research Division, Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Zagreb, Croatia

    Martina Basarac Sertić

  5. Faculty of Economics and Business, Department of Macroeconomics and Economic Development, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia

    Martina Basarac Sertić

Authors
  1. Ružica Šimić Banović
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Vlatka Škokić
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Valentina Vučković
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Martina Basarac Sertić
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ružica Šimić Banović .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. European Institute, London School of Economics & Political Science, London, UK

    William Bartlett

  2. Department of Political Science, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy

    Milica Uvalić

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2022 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Šimić Banović, R., Škokić, V., Vučković, V., Basarac Sertić, M. (2022). Immigrant Entrepreneurship and Resilience during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Case of Croatia. In: Bartlett, W., Uvalić, M. (eds) Towards Economic Inclusion in the Western Balkans. New Perspectives on South-East Europe. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-06112-7_14

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation