Ethnic entrepreneurship: the myths of informal and illegal enterprises in the UK

Abstract

This study, based on lived experiences of a sample of Nigerian entrepreneurs in the UK, provides an insight into why ethnic minority entrepreneurs work and feel justified in working outside the formal/legal structures regulated by government. It contributes an understanding of ethnic entrepreneurship at the periphery or grey zones of the market economy. Thirty Nigerian entrepreneurs based in London were interviewed over a period of 3 months, and their responses analysed for characterization of their entrepreneurial activities. It was found that besides their regular involvements in ‘off-the-book’ illicit deals, the demarcation between formal and informal entrepreneurial activities is blurred and not easily navigable. Importantly, the study explanatorily exposes the inherent myths of informal/illegal space associated with the study and power of entrepreneurship as an analytical concept.