Ethnic entrepreneurship and environmental context in Italy: pushed into survival self-employed or pulled toward real entrepreneurship?

This study aims to inquire the phenomenon of ethnic entrepreneurship in Italy. Despite rather strong intensity of such phenomenon in the Italian context it did not have yet received proper attention. We assumed a research angle based on external factors that may trigger ethnic entrepreneurship. In particular we analyzed environmental and institutional context at the regional level with attention on job integration, social inclusiveness and territorial attractiveness. Globally, our result seems to confirm that entrepreneurship in immigrant communities is basically a forced choice in reply to adverse conditions. However, if different categories of entrepreneurial activities – self-employment or firm formation – are studied almost opposite trends emerge.