Abstract
Although researchers have chronicled the high rate of entrepreneurship in Chicago among recent Asian immigrants, especially Koreans, few studies examine groups with low rates of self-employment, such as Mexicans. In this article we analyzed a unique survey of business owners operating in an immigrant community to identify circumstances that help and hinder entrepreneurship by comparing the experiences of Mexicans, with those of Koreans. We find that Korean and Mexican business owners draw on thinner ethnic social networks and do not reap similar advantages from co-ethnic business dealings. Until Mexicans consolidate a market niche, their opportunities to benefit from ethnic vertical integration will remain limited.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 783-801 |
| Number of pages | 19 |
| Journal | Ethnic and Racial Studies |
| Volume | 26 |
| Issue number | 5 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Sep 2003 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This research was supported by grants from the MacArthur Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation to the Center for the Study of Urban Inequality at the University of Chicago (Marta Tienda, Richard Taub and Robert Townsend, PI’s). We are grateful to Michael F. Maltese for editorial assistance, to Amanda Rowe for technical support, and to Benson Honig for insightful comments.
Keywords
- Chicago
- Ethnic economy
- Ethnic entrepreneurship
- Koreans
- Mexicans
- Social networks
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Cultural Studies
- Anthropology
- Sociology and Political Science
