Social Capital as a Resource for Migrant Entrepreneurship - Self-Employed Migrants from the Former Soviet Union in Germany

In her explorative study that is based on data from 62 qualitative interviews, Elena Sommer examines the use of social capital for entrepreneurial activities of self-employed migrants from the former Soviet Union in Germany. She analyses what type of social capital is used by migrants as a resource for the formation and development of small businesses and how entrepreneurial social networks of migrants change over time. The study illustrates that the use of business-related social relationships of the interviewed self-employed depends on the company's market strategy as well as on access to relevant social networks.

Elena Sommer is a researcher and a member of the Operations Team of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE ERIC) at the Max Planck Institute for Social Law and Social Policy. Her research interests include migration and integration research, social capital and social networks, cross-national survey methodology, and intergenerational family relationships.