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Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Welcoming Cities: Lessons from Chicago, Dayton, and Nashville
American Immigration Council (2016)
  • Paul N. McDaniel, Kennesaw State University
Abstract
In the face of America’s changing demographics, future prosperity depends in part
upon the ability of local communities to attract and retain a diverse population with
diverse sets of skills. In the native-born population, there are fewer births and more
retirements. That demographic fact has been compounded by the decline of large
manufacturing companies that metropolitan areas relied upon in the past to grow
their populations and economies. Increasingly, cities and regions looking to stem
population decline and stimulate economic growth are seeking to attract immigrants
and encourage immigrant entrepreneurship. Immigrants play an outsize role in
establishing “main street” businesses (retail, accommodation and food services,
and neighborhood services), which are important for generating neighborhoodlevel
economic growth and revitalization. This propensity to start businesses that
revitalize neighborhoods makes immigrants attractive to city leaders.
This report focuses on the efforts of three cities to promote immigrant
entrepreneurship as part of a broader initiative to create a more welcoming
environment for immigrants. Each of the cities—Chicago, Illinois; Dayton, Ohio;
and Nashville, Tennessee—is distinct in its history and geography of immigrant
settlement and receptivity.
Publication Date
February, 2016
Citation Information
Paul N. McDaniel. "Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Welcoming Cities: Lessons from Chicago, Dayton, and Nashville" American Immigration Council (2016)
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/paul-mcdaniel/19/