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The Same but Different: Understanding Entrepreneurial Behaviour in Disadvantaged Communities

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Entrepreneurial Behaviour

Abstract

While entrepreneurship is widely viewed as being equally accessible in all contexts, it could be questioned if potential or nascent entrepreneurs from minority and disadvantaged communities experience entrepreneurship in a similar manner to the mainstream population. This chapter examines immigrant, people with disability, youth, gay and unemployed communities to explore how their entrepreneurial behaviour might differ from the practices of mainstream entrepreneurs. What emerges is that marginalised communities can frequently find it difficult to divorce business from social living. This can have both positive and negative connotations for an entrepreneur, plus they face additional and distinctive challenges that mainstream entrepreneurs do not experience. The chapter concludes by proposing a novel ‘funnel approach’ that policymakers might adopt when seeking to introduce initiatives targeted at these disadvantaged communities.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. DIT College of Business, Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT), Dublin, Ireland

    Thomas M. Cooney

  2. DCU Open Education Office, Dublin, Ireland

    Michelle Licciardi

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  1. Thomas M. Cooney
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  2. Michelle Licciardi
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Correspondence to Thomas M. Cooney .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. DCU Business School, Dublin City University, Dublin, Ireland

    Maura McAdam

  2. Newcastle Business School, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

    James A. Cunningham

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Cooney, T.M., Licciardi, M. (2019). The Same but Different: Understanding Entrepreneurial Behaviour in Disadvantaged Communities. In: McAdam, M., Cunningham, J.A. (eds) Entrepreneurial Behaviour. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-04402-2_13

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