Immigrant entrepreneurship in South Africa: A review and research agenda

Abstract

Immigrant entrepreneurship is a global phenomenon that has recently attracted the interest of South African academics. The goal of this article was to conduct a systematic review of the literature on immigrant entrepreneurship in South African (SA) between 2009 and 2021. This systematic review was especially important because it synthesised the current literature on immigrant entrepreneurship in SA as well as proposing new avenues for research. The review included 48 articles, with an emphasis on publication trends, methodological and theoretical approaches, provincial focus, networks used by immigrant entrepreneurs and the barriers faced by immigrant entrepreneurs in SA. The findings indicate that scholarly interest in the concept has increased in SA since 2016–2018, which recorded the highest number of publications (16). The majority of studies in the review employed a quantitative approach; thus, further theorisation of the concept is required, and immigrant entrepreneurs are encouraged to explore other networks such as family, business, managerial and interorganisational networks.

This article contributes to immigrant entrepreneurship literature in the South African context by synthesising the findings on immigrant entrepreneurship published within the designated timeframe. In addition, the article also identifies areas of future research on immigrant entrepreneurship in SA.