Skip to main content

LUP Student Papers

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Refugee Entrepreneurship Across Borders: Social Capital Mobilization Among Ukrainians in Poland

Shtompel, Zoia LU and Rabeshko, Veronika LU (2025) ENTN19 20251
Department of Business Administration
Abstract
This thesis explores how Ukrainian refugee entrepreneurs mobilize social capital to establish transnational ventures in Poland following the 2022 Russian invasion. While transnational entrepreneurship has received growing academic attention, limited research exists on how forced migrants leverage social ties across borders under conditions of displacement and war. Drawing on ten semi-structured interviews with Ukrainian entrepreneurs in Poland and applying the Gioia methodology, this study develops a process model of social capital mobilization during early-stage venture creation. The findings reveal a dual mechanism of leveraging pre-existing home-country ties and activating new host-country networks. These strategies unfold across three... (More)
This thesis explores how Ukrainian refugee entrepreneurs mobilize social capital to establish transnational ventures in Poland following the 2022 Russian invasion. While transnational entrepreneurship has received growing academic attention, limited research exists on how forced migrants leverage social ties across borders under conditions of displacement and war. Drawing on ten semi-structured interviews with Ukrainian entrepreneurs in Poland and applying the Gioia methodology, this study develops a process model of social capital mobilization during early-stage venture creation. The findings reveal a dual mechanism of leveraging pre-existing home-country ties and activating new host-country networks. These strategies unfold across three interconnected domains: the network of origin, the network of destination, and the network of industry. Ukrainian entrepreneurs utilize diaspora communities, family-based labor, and trust-based professional relationships while simultaneously engaging with Polish institutions, support programs, and sector-specific actors. The study contributes to the literature by demonstrating how war-triggered displacement reshapes access to social capital and offers novel insights into transnational entrepreneurship in the forced migration context. It also highlights how unique access to the home country enables sustained cross-border engagement, positioning Ukrainian refugee entrepreneurs as distinctive actors within the broader transnational entrepreneurship landscape. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Shtompel, Zoia LU and Rabeshko, Veronika LU
supervisor
organization
course
ENTN19 20251
year
type
H1 - Master's Degree (One Year)
subject
keywords
Transnational Entrepreneurship, Social Capital, Refugee Entrepreneurship, Ukrainians in Poland
language
English
id
9207587
date added to LUP
2025-07-02 14:09:52
date last changed
2025-07-02 14:09:52
@misc{9207587,
  abstract     = {{This thesis explores how Ukrainian refugee entrepreneurs mobilize social capital to establish transnational ventures in Poland following the 2022 Russian invasion. While transnational entrepreneurship has received growing academic attention, limited research exists on how forced migrants leverage social ties across borders under conditions of displacement and war. Drawing on ten semi-structured interviews with Ukrainian entrepreneurs in Poland and applying the Gioia methodology, this study develops a process model of social capital mobilization during early-stage venture creation. The findings reveal a dual mechanism of leveraging pre-existing home-country ties and activating new host-country networks. These strategies unfold across three interconnected domains: the network of origin, the network of destination, and the network of industry. Ukrainian entrepreneurs utilize diaspora communities, family-based labor, and trust-based professional relationships while simultaneously engaging with Polish institutions, support programs, and sector-specific actors. The study contributes to the literature by demonstrating how war-triggered displacement reshapes access to social capital and offers novel insights into transnational entrepreneurship in the forced migration context. It also highlights how unique access to the home country enables sustained cross-border engagement, positioning Ukrainian refugee entrepreneurs as distinctive actors within the broader transnational entrepreneurship landscape.}},
  author       = {{Shtompel, Zoia and Rabeshko, Veronika}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Refugee Entrepreneurship Across Borders: Social Capital Mobilization Among Ukrainians in Poland}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}