Investigating Gender and Enterprise in “Fragile” Refugee Settings: The Use of Critical Realism to Explore Institutional Dynamics and Change

Ritchie, Holly A.

doi:10.4135/9781526494917

Cited by 2 publications

(3 citation statements)

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“…The case study drew on critical realism , to examine ‘less known social phenomena’ in institutional change processes and the interplay between structure and agency (Ritchie, 2019: 2). This exploratory approach necessitates a self-reflective and self-aware researcher, with flexibility to permit an open and adaptable inquiry, in line with grounded theory (Trochim and Donnelly, 2006).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Furthermore, to minimise potential cultural barriers and distrust as a foreigner and non-Muslim, the author drew on several years of experience in an Islamic context (Ritchie, 2016). This included deliberately dressing and behaving fairly conservatively, drawing on progressive references from the Koran where relevant, and ensuring critical reflexivity, that is, being ‘conscious’ of (author own) biases (Ritchie, 2019).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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An institutional perspective to bridging the divide: The case of Somali women refugees fostering digital inclusion in the volatile context of urban Kenya

Ritchie

2022

New Media & Society

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This article examines the growing influence of Informational Communication Technologies (ICTs) in less certain refugee contexts and the role of civil society groups. Drawing on an empirical case study of Somali refugees in Kenya, the article explores the grassroots use of ICTs by refugee women and local socio-economic dynamics in processes of inclusion. Adopting a micro-institutional perspective, the discussion looks at the emerging influence of mobile technology on refugee women’s precarious norms related to mobility and work, and the evolution of new digital norms. The article highlights the strategic role of women’s groups and proactive group members as ‘institutional entrepreneurs’, in aiding levels of ICT adoption among group members, motivated by connection, protection and collective enterprise, with potential effects far beyond the group. In a transitory and fragile refugee context however, constraints on civil society may lead to the exclusion of more isolated populations without formal institutional support.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

An institutional perspective to bridging the divide: The case of Somali women refugees fostering digital inclusion in the volatile context of urban Kenya

Ritchie

2022

New Media & Society

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“…This process of bureaucratisation and, its corollary, social distancing blocks out any moral objection to the creation of a 'really hostile environment' for undocumented migrants (Bowling & Westenra, 2020). Thus, both sets of countries can be unwilling, or absent, influencing local security and the provision of basic services (Ritchie, 2019), albeit in different ways. Any programme for integration, has, therefore, to be examined in terms of how embeddedness can be obtained in the dual habitus of fragility.…”

Section: Embeddedness In Fragile Environmentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Can Entrepreneurship Enable Economic and Social Integration of Refugees? A Comparison of the Economic, Social and Policy Context for Refugee Entrepreneurship in the UK and Germany

Schmich¹,

Mitra

2023

Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Emerging Economie

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This article examines critically the support systems necessary for economic integration of refugees by analysing the economic, social and policy context of refugee entrepreneurship in Germany and the UK. Current economic integration policies in both countries focus primarily on assisting refugees to find employment while appearing to neglect the value of refugee entrepreneurship as a viable option for integrating refugees into the destination country’s economy. Assuming economic integration of refugees is a fundamental socio-economic goal in both countries, our aim was to examine the challenges that could be addressed with regard to future policies for targeting refugee entrepreneurship and augmenting both entrepreneurship development and entrepreneurial policy formulation in host societies. We introduce a theoretical framework building on Wauters and Lambrecht (2008 , Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 34(6), 895–915) and use inductive thematic analysis ( Guest et al., 2013 , Collecting qualitative data: A field manual for applied research) to examine which variables impact refugees. We identify how regulations, measures and policies in different environments affect those variables. We also examine the concept of mixed embeddedness ( Kloosterman et al., 1999 , International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, 23(2), 252–266), and its appropriateness for understanding the emergent entrepreneurial activity of refugees and the support systems that can aid opportunity-based integration. Our findings show that first, the most common challenges refugee entrepreneurs encounter are (a) seed capital, (b) language barriers, (c) location, (d) embeddedness and (e) knowledge about the local market. Second, there are no significant differences in the challenges that refugee entrepreneurs encounter, between the UK and Germany. Third, we also find that the support system for refugee entrepreneurs is larger in Germany than in the UK due to the capacity of government and civil society support. We conclude that combating downward occupational mobility, and fully using the potential and expertise of refugees, refugee entrepreneurship could be considered as a viable option for economic integration because refugee communities offer unique opportunities for potentially expanding the scope and style of entrepreneurship in host countries.

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Investigating Gender and Enterprise in “Fragile” Refugee Settings: The Use of Critical Realism to Explore Institutional Dynamics and Change

Cited by 2 publications

References 0 publications

An institutional perspective to bridging the divide: The case of Somali women refugees fostering digital inclusion in the volatile context of urban Kenya

An institutional perspective to bridging the divide: The case of Somali women refugees fostering digital inclusion in the volatile context of urban Kenya

Can Entrepreneurship Enable Economic and Social Integration of Refugees? A Comparison of the Economic, Social and Policy Context for Refugee Entrepreneurship in the UK and Germany

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