CREME and Our Swedish Colleagues

Posted by cremedmu on February 11, 2011 · 2 Comments 

 

Professor Monder Ram

Most countries in Western Europe have witnessed an increase, often dramatic, in migration over the last decade or so. Conflict, poverty and the search for a better life have prompted migrants to look to the countries of Europe for some kind of salvation. All too frequently many find it difficult to get jobs in the open labour market. So what happens? Well, they do it for themselves: they set up their own businesses. The UK witnessed this trend with successive waves of migrants in the 1960s and 1970s. Our research centre, the Centre for Research in Ethnic Minority Entrepreneurship (CREME), has documented the well-trodden path of self-employment embarked upon by South Asian groups, the Chinese, and in more recent years, ‘new migrants’ like Poles and Somalis. We know this happening elsewhere in Europe; but rarely have compared our various experiences.

 

For the past three years, I have been Visiting Professor at Lund University. My role is promote awareness of ‘immigrant’ entrepreneurship (as they call it in Sweden), and work with colleagues to develop a programme of research and policy initiatives. The Swedish situation is intriguing. In the 1950s, 60s and 70s, most of the immigrants to Sweden were from other parts of Scandinavia; they performed pretty well in the labour market, often earning more than the indigenous populations. However, the character of immigration changed in the 1980s with many refugees originating to strife-ridden countries like Somalia, the former Yugoslavia and Iraq. Many of these new migrants struggled to find work, and increasingly turned to self-employment to get by. Now, 14 per cent of Sweden’s self-employed are non-natives (a higher proportion than the UK). Yet despite this growing phenomenon, research on immigrant self-employment in Sweden is in its infancy. There’s work to be done.

 

I’ve just returned from a fascinating two-day visit to the REMESO Graduate School in Migration, Ethnicity and Society, based at Linköping University. REMESO is clearly taking the matter seriously. It is a 30 strong outfit dedicated to looking at migration in a comprehensive way. Accompanied by colleagues from Lund, we exchanged experiences with academics from REMESO with a view to develop comparative research and policy work. There is no shortage of issues for us to think about. Three are worthy of particular mention. First, there is the complex question of contribution. How important are ethnic minority businesses? In the UK, estimates vary from £20 to £40 billion; but we lack the data to make more authoritative assessments. The Swedes seem to be better placed, and may well reveal some interesting findings on the profile and importance of immigrant enterprise. Measuring ‘social’ contribution is an altogether more complex proposition. How do you start to begin to assess the role that such businesses have in improving the well-being of a community, neighbourhood or society?

 

The nature of work in immigrant businesses is another issue that we’re keen to explore. We tend to be obsessed with ‘entrepreneurs’, ignoring the fact that it is the workforce that is pivotal to the success of any enterprise. Do migrants work in such businesses because: they want to; they have no choice; or as a stepping stone to something better (which may well be starting their own business)?

 

Finally, what kind of business support do such enterprises need? In the UK, the Coalition Government’s decision to dismantle the prevailing system of business support means that we are in a new and uncertain era. Many Swedish local authorities are also undergoing transformation; albeit not so severe. It will be fascinating to compare the different approaches.

 

Professor Monder Ram

Filed under Business Engagement, CREME, Ethnic Minority Businesses, Europe, Herbert Felix Institute, Monder Ram