Refugee Entrepreneurship in the Netherlands: Navigating Structural Challenges and Inclusion

This research studies how entrepreneurship plays a role in the inclusion of refugee entrepreneurs in the Netherlands and how they navigate structural challenges and opportunities through an intersectional lens. Using a contextualized comparative approach, it draws on life stories of 29 refugee-background entrepreneurs from two distinct groups: Iranians (arriving in the 1980s–90s) and Syrians (arriving post-2015). 

Findings reveal that, despite four decades of policies promoting entrepreneurial inclusion, opportunities remain unevenly distributed. Both groups encountered persistent structural and institutional barriers, indicating that the Dutch context often fails to provide sufficient support for establishing and growing businesses. Nevertheless, entrepreneurship was widely perceived as a vital pathway to societal inclusion. For these entrepreneurs, business activities served not only as economic strategies but also as means of asserting agency, redefining identities, and building social connections.

The study highlights the complexity of the Dutch integration system and the limitations of current policies in ensuring equitable opportunities. It calls for an inclusive, intersectional policy framework and systemic reforms to foster a more supportive environment for refugee entrepreneurship.