Space and place in immigrant entrepreneurship literature in the Nordic countries: A systematic literature review

Abstract

ABSTRACT In recent decades, immigrant entrepreneurship research has developed from exploring a niche economic activity to being a lens through which to explore wider social and economic processes. As the topic grows in importance, research on immigrant entrepreneurship in Nordic contexts is joining these trends, but the unique settings of the region might have been neglected. Space and place underpin many explorations of immigrant entrepreneurship in the Nordic countries, from absolute conceptions of space and place to sensitive portraits of social complexity. Thus, the question the authors address is how space and place are articulated, presented, and interpreted within immigrant entrepreneurship literature in and about the Nordic context. From a systematic literature review of academic articles covering Nordic countries and immigrant entrepreneurship between 2000 and 2019, they found that space and place play a role in immigrant entrepreneurship in Nordic research. However, opportunities remain to engage theoretically with these concepts in order to develop research aimed at understanding immigrant entrepreneurship in the Nordic countries and contribute to a growing need to understand space and place in entrepreneurial activities generally. The authors conclude that there are five potential strategies for incorporating space and place in future research.