External publications

The bidirectional relationship between social contracts and entrepreneurship: Syrian refugee entrepreneurs in Kurdistan Region of Iraq

Abedtalas, Musallam
External Publications (2024)

in: Mediterranean Politics, first published 17.07.2024

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13629395.2024.2379735
Open access

This article explores the interaction between Syrian refugees’ entrepreneurship and the social contract of Kurdistan Region of Iraq using qualitative method. The findings confirm that the low level of social contract’s recognition of refugee resources as property rights had a negative effect on their entrepreneurship activities. In contrast, the provisions provided by the government, as part of the social contract helped refugees utilize their resources, which played a positive role in motivating refugee entrepreneurship. Regarding the impact of refugee entrepreneurship on the social contract, there was no top-down change, even with indications of change agency. This can be explained by the low level of participation, in the social contract, and the weakness of entrepreneur associations. For bottom-up change, refugee entrepreneurs tended to challenge the exclusiveness and clientelism in the social contract by increasingly deviating from standard processes, which lead to some de facto change. This research enhances our insights of refugees’ entrepreneurship and integration in the context of the social contract and its change.