Page 131 - IJPS-11-2

International Journal of
Population Studies Country choice for migrant entrepreneurship

(Giambronelaw, 2024). The questions are quantified as
follows: Q7 – 5, Q8 – 5, Q9 – 10, Q10 – 10, Q11 – 10, Q12
– 10, Q13 – 5, and Q14 – 0.
Next, for Questions 15 – 18 from the third category,
personal affairs and accommodations, the questions are
quantified using specific information from real estate
sources (Idealista, 2024). These questions are quantified
as follows: Q15 – 10, Q16 – 5, Q17 – 0, and Q18 – 0. For
Questions 19 and 20 from the fourth category, social
services, the questions were quantified using information
from the Spanish Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and
Migrations (Min_Seg_Social_ES, 2024). These questions
are quantified as follows: Q19 – 10 and Q20 – 8.
For the questions from the last two categories, that
is, specific issues (Questions 21 – 23) and climatic and
other natural conditions (Questions 24 and 25), the
quantification is based on the information cited in Section
2.2., (Expat Insider, 2022; WMO, 2024). The corresponding
Figure 4. Migrant entrepreneurship index for the European scenario scores are as follows: Q21 – 8, Q22 – 8, Q23 – 10, Q24 – 6,
Author’s interactive map published at: https://datawrapper.dwcdn. and Q25 – 10.
net/7mlv1/3/
Finally, the application of the formula used in this
analysis provides a total normalized score of 66 points (with
As shown in Figure 4, the Nordic countries, along
with Estonia, have higher scores, followed by Portugal, 100 being the maximum). This value for the IMIGRENT
index is reflected in the interactive map published at
Germany, Ireland, and the United Kingdom, even after https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/7mlv1/3/and cited in
Brexit. Meanwhile, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Austria Figure 4. A similar method can be used to calculate the
have relatively high scores, whereas Southern Europe and IMIGRENT index for the rest of the European countries,
the majority of Eastern Europe have similar but lower as demonstrated in Figure 4.
scores. As an illustration of how this map is constructed,
we use Spain as an example and demonstrate how the 3.3.3. Comparison of the three indexes
quantification was performed.
An estimation of the IMIGRENT index for the majority
For Questions 1 – 6 from the first category, that is, of the European countries is provided in the third column
immigration procedures, the official website of the Spanish of Table 1. In this column, the index value is depicted
Ministry of Internal Affairs (Min_Interior_ES, 2024; Sede and calculated based on the assigned criteria regarding
Policía, 2024) is used. These questions are quantified different important aspects of starting a business.
as follows: Q1 – 10, Q2 –5, Q3 – 0, Q4 – 5, Q5 – 9, and Although the comparison of the three indexes yields
Q6 – 0. It should be noted that the author’s preferences
are such that the corresponding weights W are fixed to similar results, the IMIGRENT index introduces additional
i
unity. For instance, the maximal score for Q1 is because aspects (e.g., company registration, online access, personal
affairs and accommodations, and natural conditions) that
this simulation was performed for an individual holding can improve quantification and provide further important
EU citizenship. If it was someone from a visa-exempt details. This is evident in cases such as Finland, where
non-EU country, such as the United States or Serbia, the climate conditions are highlighted, and Spain, where faulty
weight would also be the same. However, if it was someone institutions and ambiguous rules contribute to a lower
coming from a non-EU country requiring a visa, such total index score. Meanwhile, in Germany, the results are
as the People’s Republic of China, the question would be generally positive, except for instances where indirect
weighted as 0.
barriers are created for economic reasons. Other notable
For Questions 7 – 14 from the second category, comparisons are as follows. First, Portugal scores well due
company registration and ownership, they were quantified to its flexible banking and business regulations, friendly
using information from the Spanish Ministry of Economy, population, favorable weather, and efficient administration,
Commerce, and Enterprises (Min_Economia_ES, 2024) whereas Hungary scores low due to its restrictions on
and specific official information published by experts property purchases, the use of foreign driver’s licenses,

Volume 11 Issue 2 (2025) 125 https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.4447