Growth in first- and second-generation immigrant firms in Sweden
Abstract
This article contributes to the research exploring the social and economic factors shaping the performance of immigrant-run firms. Drawing upon human and social capital theory and assimilation theory, we investigate differences in performance measured as revenue growth in a comparative study of native and immigrant CEOs. Following 50,002 small firms in Sweden over 4 years, we find distinct patterns in both firm size and revenue growth between firms managed by immigrants and by natives. While firms run by second-generation immigrants from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries exhibit higher growth rates than natives, the reverse is true for second-generation immigrants from non-OECD countries, suggesting that economic integration in terms of small business growth immigrants in Sweden is characterized by segmented rather than universal assimilation.
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Efendic, N., Andersson, F. W., & Wennberg, K. (2016). Growth in first- and second-generation immigrant firms in Sweden. International Small Business Journal, 34(8), 1028-1052. DOI: 10.1177/0266242615612533