Title: Transnational entrepreneurship: a systematic review of the literature

Authors: Diana Carolina Muñoz-Castro; Sandra Milena Santamaría-Alvarez; Sara Isabel Marín-Zapata

Addresses: Department of International Business, Universidad EAFIT, Carrera 49 N. 7 sur – 50, Medellín, Colombia ' Department of International Business, Universidad EAFIT, Carrera 49 N. 7 sur – 50, Medellín, Colombia ' Department of International Business, Universidad EAFIT, Carrera 49 N. 7 sur – 50, Medellín, Colombia

Abstract: This article presents a systematic review of the research literature on transnational entrepreneurship, addressing perspectives on the topic from different academic fields and providing an overall assessment of the main theoretical and empirical advances made to date, including research trends and gaps. To achieve this, we identified and revised the most relevant literature on transnational entrepreneurship published between 1995 and 2016. The results suggest that although institutions play a vital role for transnational entrepreneurs, their networks, human capital and motivations are crucial, since these resources can help them overcome structural constraints. We also found that most articles reporting on qualitative case studies focused on particular communities, suggesting there is a need for more comparative studies. We conclude that it is imperative to establish a more developed theoretical framework for the study of transnational entrepreneurship that would broaden scientific knowledge by integrating diverse disciplinary perspectives covering multiple fields of study.

Keywords: transnational; entrepreneur; diaspora; migrant; systematic review; institutions; networks; drivers; capital; entrepreneurship.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEIM.2019.102824

International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management, 2019 Vol.23 No.6, pp.559 - 583

Accepted: 24 Jul 2018
Published online: 08 Oct 2019 *

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