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2022 | OriginalPaper | Chapter

5. Entrepreneurship and Innovation: How Institutional Voids Shape Economic Opportunities in Refugee Camps

Author : Marlen de la Chaux

Published in: Forced Displacement and Migration

Publisher: Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden

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Abstract

Refugee camps tend to be conceptualized as spaces that provide safety and aid to victims of forced displacement. Often overlooked, refugee camps are also vibrant spaces characterized by entrepreneurship, innovation, and lively market activity. This chapter examines how refugee entrepreneurs build businesses despite social, normative, and legal constraints of the refugee camp. I introduce three types of institutional voids that interface to constitute what I term the Humanitarian Institutional Arrangement typical of refugee camps. The chapter then explains how refugee camp entrepreneurs navigate these institutional voids in order to create sustainable businesses.

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Title: Entrepreneurship and Innovation: How Institutional Voids Shape Economic Opportunities in Refugee Camps
Author: Marlen de la Chaux
Publisher: Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden
Book: Forced Displacement and Migration
Print ISBN: 978-3-658-32901-3

Electronic ISBN: 978-3-658-32902-0

Copyright Year: 2022
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-32902-0_5

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