Ethnic Economy: Challenge or Obstacle of Economy in Slovenia and EU?

Ethnic entrepreneurship is currently a most relevant social phenomenon in the European Union, and according to noted trends, it is becoming increasingly popular in Slovenia also.  Ethnic entrepreneurship refers to businesses that are set up and usually managed by labour migrants who take advantage of the niches in the existent economy.  Usually, the businesses are based on or linked with labour migrants’ social networks and their cultural patterns that mix with those of the host country. Moving from one culture and settling in another requires a great deal of creativity and innovativeness in order to survive, become successful and live comfortably. However, an important question that arises is how ethnic entrepreneurship influences the existent Slovenian economy. Is it a challenge or a barrier? (competition, synergy, improving quality, expanding supply, innovativeness...).The basic research question is therefore how migrants who set up ethnic entrepreneurships contribute to development of innovative structures in Slovenian environment and how do they contribute to the overall Slovenian economy. The research will be based on the gathered quantitative data, including official statistics, questionnaires distributed to owners and employees of the chosen ethnic businesses as well as their competition, and data provided by the Employment Service of Slovenia, Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia, Chamber of Craft and Small Businesses of Slovenia, Ministry of Labour, Family and Social Affairs, Ministry of Interior... On the basis of the analysed quantitative data, we will conduct in-depth semi-structured interviews with owners and employees in individual areas of the economy. Next, a comparative analysis will be conducted with the chosen EU countries that are familiar with all the aspects of setting up ethnic businesses. Comparison will also be made with experiences of Slovenian emigrants who have set up businesses in countries of emigration. As the research topic is fairly new in Slovenia and has not been adequately researched yet, we will offer the results on different levels to reach the wider circle of potential users. We will publish scientific and professional articles in Slovenian and foreign journals, prepare recommendations for relevant state organs, and current and prospective founders of ethnic entrepreneurships. The purpose of the research is to establish the consequences of setting up ethnic entrepreneurships for Slovenian economy, the potential contribution to successfulness and innovativeness of companies, and research the benefits for a more successful integration of labour migrants in Slovenia, thus encouraging the intercultural dialogue. The project covers a complex thematic from the field of migration research, including gathering a vast amount of primary data and doing fieldwork. Through such process, conducted by younger generation researcher, which already has references in Slovenia and abroad,  young researcher will get familiar with all phases of scientific research and will gain knowledge about migration, one of the most prominent areas of research in the world today.