A qualitative research on entrepreneurship, the psychological capital and integration of the refugees resettling in Scotland

In recent years, the world has faced significant challenges related to the large-scale displacement of refugees and the subsequent issues of resettlement. Promoting refugees' economic independence through employment and self-employment remains a key strategy for facilitating their integration into host countries. This research explored the experiences and perceptions of entrepreneurship, psychological capital, and integration among refugees resettling in Scotland. A qualitative approach using interpretative phenomenological analysis was employed. Five refugees participated in semi-structured interviews. The findings revealed that unemployment upon arrival negatively impacted their sense of self-worth. However, a strong desire for self-actualisation was evident among both refugee entrepreneurs and latent entrepreneurs, serving as a key motivation for pursuing entrepreneurship. Valuable assets such as extensive work experience and psychological capital were identified as critical for entrepreneurial success. Furthermore, the asset-focused entrepreneurship education provided by the Blue Social Programme was found to have a potentially positive impact on the psychological capital of refugees with entrepreneurial aspirations or those starting their own businesses.