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Immigration and Entrepreneurship in the United States

Author

Listed:
  • Pierre Azoulay
  • Benjamin F. Jones
  • J. Daniel Kim
  • Javier Miranda

Abstract

Immigrants can expand labor supply and compete for jobs with native-born workers. But immigrants may also start new firms, expanding labor demand. This paper uses US administrative data and other data sources to study the role of immigrants in entrepreneurship. We ask how often immigrants start companies, how many jobs these firms create, and how firms founded by native-born individuals compare. A simple model provides a measurement framework for addressing the dual roles of immigrants as founders and workers. The findings suggest that immigrants act more as "job creators" than "job takers" and play outsized roles in US high-growth entrepreneurship.

Suggested Citation

  • Pierre Azoulay & Benjamin F. Jones & J. Daniel Kim & Javier Miranda, 2022. "Immigration and Entrepreneurship in the United States," American Economic Review: Insights, American Economic Association, vol. 4(1), pages 71-88, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:aea:aerins:v:4:y:2022:i:1:p:71-88
    DOI: 10.1257/aeri.20200588
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Stuart J.H. Graham & Cheryl Grim & Tariqul Islam & Alan C. Marco & Javier Miranda, 2018. "Business dynamics of innovating firms: Linking U.S. patents with administrative data on workers and firms," Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(3), pages 372-402, September.
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    Cited by:

    1. Ghimire Keshar M., 2021. "Supply of immigrant entrepreneurs and native entrepreneurship," IZA Journal of Development and Migration, Sciendo & Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit GmbH (IZA), vol. 12(1), pages 1-42, January.
    2. Green, David A. & Liu, Huju & Ostrovsky, Yuri & Picot, Garnett, 2023. "Are Immigrants Particularly Entrepreneurial? Policy Lessons from a Selective Immigration System," IZA Discussion Papers 16515, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    3. Parag Mahajan, 2021. "Immigration and Local Business Dynamics: Evidence from U.S. Firms," Working Papers 21-18, Center for Economic Studies, U.S. Census Bureau.
    4. Gergely Horváth & Rui Zhang, 2022. "Ethnic entrepreneurship, assimilation, and integration policy," Journal of Public Economic Theory, Association for Public Economic Theory, vol. 24(4), pages 781-816, August.
    5. Michael A. Clemens, 2021. "The Fiscal Effect of Immigration: Reducing Bias in Influential Estimates," RF Berlin - CReAM Discussion Paper Series 2134, Rockwool Foundation Berlin (RF Berlin) - Centre for Research and Analysis of Migration (CReAM).
    6. Areendam Chanda & Bulent Unel, 2021. "Do attitudes toward risk taking affect entrepreneurship? Evidence from second-generation Americans," Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, vol. 26(4), pages 385-413, December.
    7. Paolo Martellini & Todd Schoellman & Jason A. Sockin, 2022. "The Global Distribution of College Graduate Quality," Working Papers 791, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis.
    8. Lee, Jun Yeong & Winters, John, 2021. "Too Cold to Venture There? January Temperature and Immigrant Self-Employment across the United States," ISU General Staff Papers 202112131848540000, Iowa State University, Department of Economics.
    9. Braga, Breno & Elliott, Diana, 2023. "The Effects of Maria Migrants on the Financial Health of the Residents of Central Florida," IZA Discussion Papers 16482, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    10. Paige Clayton, 2024. "Different outcomes for different founders? Local organizational sponsorship and entrepreneurial finance," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 62(1), pages 23-62, January.
    11. Matija Kovacic & Cristina Elisa Orso, 2023. "Who’s afraid of immigration? The effect of economic preferences on tolerance," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 36(3), pages 1901-1940, July.
    12. Fang, Guanfu & Gao, Tiantian & He, Huanlang & Sun, Qian, 2023. "Public credit information arrangements and entrepreneurship: Evidence from China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    13. Amornsiripanitch, Natee & Gompers, Paul A. & Hu, George & Vasudevan, Kaushik, 2023. "Getting schooled: Universities and VC-backed immigrant entrepreneurs," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 52(7).
    14. Sari Pekkala Kerr & William R. Kerr, 2021. "Whose Job Is It Anyway? Coethnic Hiring in New US Ventures," Journal of Human Capital, University of Chicago Press, vol. 15(1), pages 86-127.
    15. Uhlbach, Wolf-Hendrik & Tartari, Valentina & Kongsted, Hans Christian, 2022. "Beyond scientific excellence: International mobility and the entrepreneurial activities of academic scientists," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(1).
    16. Rodrigues, Hugo S. & Shrestha, Samyam, 2022. "Labor Market Impacts of a Refugee Crisis in Brazil," 2022 Annual Meeting, July 31-August 2, Anaheim, California 322349, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    17. Prithwiraj Choudhury & Kirk Doran & Astrid Marinoni & Chungeun Yoon, 2022. "Loss of Peers and Individual Worker Performance: Evidence from H-1B Visa Denials," CESifo Working Paper Series 10152, CESifo.
    18. Arrighetti, Alessandro & Canello, Jacopo, 2023. "Explaining the Multifaceted Patterns of Migrant Entrepreneurship in the Global Economy: A Resource-Based Approach," EconStor Preprints 273451, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics.
    19. Maghularia, Rita & Uebelmesser, Silke, 2023. "Do immigrants affect crime? Evidence for Germany," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 211(C), pages 486-512.
    20. Riillo, Cesare Fabio Antonio & Peroni, Chiara, 2022. "Immigration and entrepreneurship in Europe: cross-country evidence," MPRA Paper 114580, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    21. Maffei-Faccioli, Nicolò & Vella, Eugenia, 2021. "Does immigration grow the pie? Asymmetric evidence from Germany," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 138(C).
    22. Shrestha, Samyam & Sant'Anna, Hugo, 2023. "Immigration Enforcement, Entrepreneurship, and Firm Entry/Exit," 2023 Annual Meeting, July 23-25, Washington D.C. 335611, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    23. Xu, Yibin & Chen, Zhibin & Fan, Rui, 2023. "Highly skilled foreign labor introduction policies and corporate innovation: Evidence from a natural experiment in China," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 137-156.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • J15 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Minorities, Races, Indigenous Peoples, and Immigrants; Non-labor Discrimination
    • J22 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Time Allocation and Labor Supply
    • J23 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Demand
    • J61 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Geographic Labor Mobility; Immigrant Workers
    • L26 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Entrepreneurship
    • M13 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Business Administration - - - New Firms; Startups

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