Refugee entrepreneurial economies in urban South Africa / / Jonathan Crush [and three others]

• Record Nr.: UNINA9910467914603321
• Pubbl/distr/stampa: Waterloo, Ontario : , : Southern African Migration Programme, , 2017; ©2017
• ISBN: 1-920596-34-8
• Descrizione fisica: 1 online resource (41 pages) : illustrations, tables, graphs
• Collana: Samp Migration Policy Series ; ; Number 76
• Disciplina: 658.0220968
• Soggetti: Entrepreneurship - South Africa; Refugees - South Africa - Economic conditions; Electronic books.
• Lingua di pubblicazione: Inglese
• Formato: Materiale a stampa
• Livello bibliografico: Monografia
• Note generali: Issued as part of book collections on Project MUSE.
• Nota di bibliografia: Includes bibliographical references.
• Nota di contenuto: Introduction -- Research methodology -- Refugee profile -- Business characteristics and strategies -- Entrepreneurial economies -- Conclusion.
• Sommario/riassunto: One of the defining characteristics of many large cities in the rapidly urbanizing global South is the high degree of informality of shelter, services and economic livelihoods. It is these dynamic, shifting and dangerous informal urban spaces that refugees often arrive in with few resources other than a will to survive, a few social contacts and a drive to support themselves in the absence of financial support from the host government and international agencies. This report addresses the question of variability in economic opportunity and entrepreneurial activity between urban environments within the same destination country - South Africa - by comparing refugee entrepreneurship in Cape Town, South Africa's second largest city, and several small towns in the province of Limpopo. The research shows that refugee entrepreneurial activity in Limpopo is a more recent phenomenon and largely a function of refugees moving from large cities such as Johannesburg where their businesses and lives are in greater danger. The refugee populations in both areas are equally diverse and tend to be engaged in the same wide range of activities. This report shows that ; different urban geographies do shape the local nature of refugee entrepreneurial economies, but there are also remarkable similarities in the manner in which unconnected refugee entrepreneurs establish and grow their businesses in large cities and small provincial towns.