Class, ethnicity, gender and Latino entrepreneurship: Salvadoran and Peruvian networks in greater Washington D.C

Through a case study on Washington Salvadorans and Peruvians, this research investigates the effect of Latino immigrant social relations on economic action. Specifically, it explores how immigrant class, ethnic, and gender-based networks interact with the local opportunity structure to mediate Latino entrepreneurial outcomes. In particular, it examines these questions: How do Latinos belonging to distinct immigrant groups leverage qualitatively distinct economic, social and cultural resources from each other in pursuing business ventures? Are Salvadoran and Peruvian strategies for access to business ownership and business development "gendered"? Is the social embeddedness of men and women's networks effective in facilitating entrepreneurial ventures? And how do immigrants and stakeholders perceive the policy environment for Latino business development across the Washington metropolitan area?; Census data contextualizes this qualitative study, which includes 107 initial survey interviews with Salvadoran and Peruvian entrepreneurs, 25 unstructured interviews with local institutional stakeholders, and 45 in-depth interviews with a selected group of informants across various research sites. The study also draws from participant observation and secondary data analysis. The experiences of study participants confirm that Washington Salvadoran and Peruvian immigrant entrepreneurs are differentiated social and economic actors; that their business practices and social networks are indeed gendered, and that their unique location in the stratification system shape their access to entrepreneurial opportunities. Yet, findings suggest that it is participants' agency, manifested through their mobilization and participation in localized social networks, what ultimately allows Salvadoran and Peruvian men and women to enhance the terms of their opportunity structure. Focusing on social patterns between and within groups, this dissertation situates immigrant entrepreneurship within concrete geographical, demographic and historical spaces, beginning to unveil the story of some of the less "successful" immigrant entrepreneurial groups in America.