New research highlights the significant potential of return migrants in driving Latvia's entrepreneurship development
A recent study conducted by SSE Riga Professors Zane Vārpiņa, Kata Fredheim, Anders Paalzow, and BICEPS researcher Marija Krumina investigates the link between foreign experience and entrepreneurship in Latvia.
The key findings reveal that return migrants exhibit higher entrepreneurial activity, business ownership, and intrapreneurship compared to non-migrants. Factors contributing to this increased entrepreneurial spirit include self-perceived capabilities, reduced fear of failure, better business networks, and ambitious goals. Latvian return migrant entrepreneurship is opportunity-driven and characterized by greater growth and export aspirations.
Living abroad and the length of stay positively impact the likelihood of becoming an entrepreneur upon returning home, with capital accumulated abroad and networks acting as strong predictors of business ownership. While further research is needed to establish causality, foreign living experience appears to contribute to individual entrepreneurial activity.
Return migrants possess essential qualities for entrepreneurship, suggesting that encouraging remigration could help boost entrepreneurship in Latvia.
To learn more about the study, visit Wiley Online Library