International immigration and entrepreneurship in rural areas of the Spanish Pyrenees
The academic literature on international immigration into rural areas has clearly identified two main international migration flows: retirement migration and low-skilled migration in farming. Yet, the emphasis on these two types of international immigrants has overlooked other types of incomers, suc...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Research Centre for Astronomy and Earth Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences
2023-06-01
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| Series: | Hungarian Geographical Bulletin |
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| Online Access: | https://ojs.mtak.hu/index.php/hungeobull/article/view/9645 |
| _version_ | 1797791343231107072 |
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| author | Cristóbal Mendoza |
| author_facet | Cristóbal Mendoza |
| author_sort | Cristóbal Mendoza |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The academic literature on international immigration into rural areas has clearly identified two main international migration flows: retirement migration and low-skilled migration in farming. Yet, the emphasis on these two types of international immigrants has overlooked other types of incomers, such as professionals, lifestyle movers, immigrant entrepreneurs and self-employed workers who may potentially have positive impacts on local rural economies and societies. Filling a gap in the literature, this paper concentrates on immigrant entrepreneurship in the Spanish Pyrenees. In doing so, it explores connections between local economies, entrepreneurship, and lifestyle immigration. It also analyses the potential of immigrant entrepreneurs to contribute to local economic growth with the different types of capital they possess (e.g. human capital, social capital). Methodology, it is based on a fieldwork carried out in the Spanish Pyrenees between February and May 2022. Specifically, it has been carried out 31 in-depth interviews with foreign-born immigrants in two areas of the Spanish Pyrenees (Girona and Huesca). The non-representative sample is equally distributed among immigrant entrepreneurs, self-employed workers, and employees, and it was also balanced by sex and covered different ages, covering, thus, a broad spectrum of immigrants’ labour incorporations. Our results add new evidence to previous discussions on immigrant entrepreneurship and lifestyle immigration, from the viewpoint of rural mountain areas. Interviewed immigrant entrepreneurs occasionally play a key role in the creation and introduction of innovative products in very specific market niches in farming and tourism in the Pyrenees. In this way, immigrants stimulate local economies, and help to strengthen values on sustainability, community and sense of place. Yet the companies they create are often limited in both size and capital, and these circumstances generally produce only a slight impact on local economic development and job creation in the Pyrenees |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-13T02:17:26Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e328e760b7c84f6cb27bba67da46f95d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2064-5031 2064-5147 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-13T02:17:26Z |
| publishDate | 2023-06-01 |
| publisher | Research Centre for Astronomy and Earth Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Hungarian Geographical Bulletin |
| spelling | doaj.art-e328e760b7c84f6cb27bba67da46f95d2023-06-30T12:06:23ZengResearch Centre for Astronomy and Earth Sciences, Hungarian Academy of SciencesHungarian Geographical Bulletin2064-50312064-51472023-06-0172211913110.15201/hungeobull.72.2.29645International immigration and entrepreneurship in rural areas of the Spanish PyreneesCristóbal Mendoza0Departamento de Geografia, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Spain ; Departamento de Sociología, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Iztapalapa, MexicoThe academic literature on international immigration into rural areas has clearly identified two main international migration flows: retirement migration and low-skilled migration in farming. Yet, the emphasis on these two types of international immigrants has overlooked other types of incomers, such as professionals, lifestyle movers, immigrant entrepreneurs and self-employed workers who may potentially have positive impacts on local rural economies and societies. Filling a gap in the literature, this paper concentrates on immigrant entrepreneurship in the Spanish Pyrenees. In doing so, it explores connections between local economies, entrepreneurship, and lifestyle immigration. It also analyses the potential of immigrant entrepreneurs to contribute to local economic growth with the different types of capital they possess (e.g. human capital, social capital). Methodology, it is based on a fieldwork carried out in the Spanish Pyrenees between February and May 2022. Specifically, it has been carried out 31 in-depth interviews with foreign-born immigrants in two areas of the Spanish Pyrenees (Girona and Huesca). The non-representative sample is equally distributed among immigrant entrepreneurs, self-employed workers, and employees, and it was also balanced by sex and covered different ages, covering, thus, a broad spectrum of immigrants’ labour incorporations. Our results add new evidence to previous discussions on immigrant entrepreneurship and lifestyle immigration, from the viewpoint of rural mountain areas. Interviewed immigrant entrepreneurs occasionally play a key role in the creation and introduction of innovative products in very specific market niches in farming and tourism in the Pyrenees. In this way, immigrants stimulate local economies, and help to strengthen values on sustainability, community and sense of place. Yet the companies they create are often limited in both size and capital, and these circumstances generally produce only a slight impact on local economic development and job creation in the Pyreneeshttps://ojs.mtak.hu/index.php/hungeobull/article/view/9645immigrant entrepreneurshiprural areasspainlifestyle migrationpyreneesmountain areaslocal economies |
| spellingShingle | Cristóbal Mendoza International immigration and entrepreneurship in rural areas of the Spanish Pyrenees Hungarian Geographical Bulletin immigrant entrepreneurship rural areas spain lifestyle migration pyrenees mountain areas local economies |
| title | International immigration and entrepreneurship in rural areas of the Spanish Pyrenees |
| title_full | International immigration and entrepreneurship in rural areas of the Spanish Pyrenees |
| title_fullStr | International immigration and entrepreneurship in rural areas of the Spanish Pyrenees |
| title_full_unstemmed | International immigration and entrepreneurship in rural areas of the Spanish Pyrenees |
| title_short | International immigration and entrepreneurship in rural areas of the Spanish Pyrenees |
| title_sort | international immigration and entrepreneurship in rural areas of the spanish pyrenees |
| topic | immigrant entrepreneurship rural areas spain lifestyle migration pyrenees mountain areas local economies |
| url | https://ojs.mtak.hu/index.php/hungeobull/article/view/9645 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT cristobalmendoza internationalimmigrationandentrepreneurshipinruralareasofthespanishpyrenees |