Abstract
Research background: Pursuing entrepreneurship is viewed as a career option that helps migrants survive and thrive in their host countries. To achieve success, these entrepreneurs have overcome not only individual barriers (micro-factors) but also the negative impacts of external barriers, including market context (meso-factors) and institutional and infrastructure context (macro-factors).Purpose of the article: This article aims to explore the main barriers to migrant entrepreneurship (ME) at three levels: micro, meso, and macro; then identify which group of barriers has higher total prominence and which barriers cause the strongest influence on the remaining barriers. Methods: Anchored in mixed embeddedness theory, the research process begins with identifying barriers based on the existing literature and expert opinions through Delphi rounds. Then, the interrelationships of the barriers are analyzed using the DEMATEL approach. Questionnaires were administered to entrepreneurs in the Czech Republic with at least 10 years of business experience. Findings & value added: The results revealed 11 factors hindering ME, with micro-level barriers having greater overall prominence than meso/macro-level barriers. Meanwhile, contextual barriers, especially at the macro-level, including a lack of supportive government policy and favorable infrastructure, are the strongest causal drivers shaping the barrier system. Lack of local language proficiency is the only micro-barrier having a significant impact on other barriers. This research contributes to the ME literature by providing a validated causal map of barriers, using a robust analytical framework that incorporates experienced migrant entrepreneurs' opinions and a Delphi-based DEMATEL approach. Since the barriers are categorized into drivers (causes) and outcomes (effects), this allows prioritization of barriers and corresponding policy actions to address the most important causal barriers.