The economically rich refugees: A case study of the business operations of Istanbul-based Syrian refugee businesspeople

Abstract

In sharp contrast to the orthodox understanding of refu- gees as resourceless and disadvantaged victims, this article examines the impact that business operations of Istanbul- based Syrian refugee businesspeople have on their host economy, as well as determining which factors contribute to overcoming the social and legal challenges that prevent them from building their livelihoods. Since the impact of refugees on host countries is one of the main factors in a two-way process of integration between hosts and mi- grants, the analysis also takes into account the Turkish businesspeople`s perspectives on Syrians. I argue that a reinvestigation of the diverse socio-economic make-up of refugees is crucial for examining refugees’ impact on host countries and for the planning of refugee policies, since the strategies refugees apply for overcoming (or alleviating) the challenges they encounter in the host countries are closely related to their pre-refuged capital and can be transferred to the host countries.