ABSTRACT
Ever since classical economic sociologists embarked on an intellectual journey to elucidate the relationship between social structure and the economy, scholars have attempted to unveil the complex mechanisms through which cultural elements of a social system infl uence economic behavior. Thus, from Max Weber’s classical study on Protestant religious values as the driving force behind the emergence of capitalism, to Mark Granovetter’s theory on embeddedness, sociologists have attempted to understand the way in which social relations and institutions pattern economic action. Immigrant entrepreneurship is just one empirical manifestation of socially oriented economic behavior, but one of particular relevance given its far reaching implications for immigrant integration, social welfare, technological innovation, and economic development in 21st century America.
