A bibliometric review of Immigrant and Ethnic Entrepreneurship

Debate about the immigration of thousands of refugees to Europe and their assimilation by society and the local economy is a popular theme today. Furthermore, international entrepreneurship of ethnic enclaves has been studied as a form of social mobility and integration of these groups. Several immigrant communities of various ethnic groups have been studied, however, the Brazilian immigrant has been little studied in relation to his/her profile, culture, and entrepreneurial behavior. Bibliometric research conducted on immigrant and ethnic entrepreneurship points to a change in its original focus on “enclave economies,” “ethnic business,” and “social embeddedness” to studies related to “immigrant entrepreneurs,” “immigrant business networks,” and “transnational entrepreneurs.” This article aims to present the results of a bibliometric study, contemplating seminal works, the main international theories on immigrant entrepreneurship, and ethnic enclaves. Moreover, gaps in Brazilian and international literature are also identified in order to systematically expand this field of research. The authors present an analysis of concepts, theories, and the most cited articles in this study field, as well as pointing to possible future research directions