IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jscscx/v11y2022i4p157-d785035.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Livelihood of Chinese Migrants in Timor-Leste

Author

Listed:
  • Ajito Fernandes

    (Faculty of Interdisciplinary Studies, Satya Wacana Cristian University, Salatiga 50711, Indonesia)

  • Titi Susilowati Prabawa

    (Faculty of Interdisciplinary Studies, Satya Wacana Cristian University, Salatiga 50711, Indonesia)

  • Wilson M. A. Therik

    (Faculty of Interdisciplinary Studies, Satya Wacana Cristian University, Salatiga 50711, Indonesia)

Abstract

This article aims to describe, in depth, the experiences of migrant workers from China in maintaining their livelihoods in Timor-Leste through entrepreneurial activities before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, this study discusses sustainable livelihoods with the knowledge of migration, adaptation, and entrepreneurship in Timor-Leste. To fulfill these aims, a qualitative methodology with a phenomenological approach was adopted by interviewing eight Chinese migrants who run businesses in Timor-Leste. Furthermore, the framework for the concept of sustainable livelihoods of the Department for International Development (DFID) was adapted to explain, in depth, the phenomena. The finding reveals that economic reasons encourage and attract Chinese migrant workers and entrepreneurs to Timor-Leste. The adaptation process of migrants in Timor-Leste relies on social capital to synergize with local communities in terms of culture, further affecting the comfort and security of entrepreneurship. From the perspective of sustainable livelihoods, migrant workers take advantage of human capital in the process of accumulation of financial capital to enhance their business activities. Meanwhile, migrant entrepreneurship expands their financial capital and human capital into social capital, physical capital, and natural capital. The findings also explain that the mobility and access to financial capital of Chinese migrants are supported through institutional structures, entrepreneurship activities, and policies. Furthermore, to ensure livelihood sustainability and business, Chinese migrants in Timor-Leste can carry out business intensification, extensification, diversification, and transformation strategies.

Suggested Citation

  • Ajito Fernandes & Titi Susilowati Prabawa & Wilson M. A. Therik, 2022. "The Livelihood of Chinese Migrants in Timor-Leste," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 11(4), pages 1-14, April.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jscscx:v:11:y:2022:i:4:p:157-:d:785035
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/11/4/157/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/11/4/157/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Miranda Cahn, 2008. "Indigenous entrepreneurship, culture and micro-enterprise in the Pacific Islands: case studies from Samoa," Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 20(1), pages 1-18, January.
    2. Ilse Blignault & Vince Ponzio & Ye Rong & Maurice Eisenbruch, 2008. "A Qualitative Study of Barriers to Mental Health Services Utilisation Among Migrants From Mainland China in South-East Sydney," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 54(2), pages 180-190, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Sonali Hedditch & Clare Manuel, 2010. "Samoa Gender and Investment Climate Reform Assessment," World Bank Publications - Reports 25924, The World Bank Group.
    2. Julian Gorman & Gretchen Ennis & Penelope Wurm & Melissa Bentivoglio & Chris Brady, 2023. "Aboriginal Community Views about a Native Plant-Based Enterprise Development in Northern Australia," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(5), pages 1-16, May.
    3. Klimentina Krstanoska-Blazeska & Andre Renzaho & Ilse Blignault & Bingqin Li & Nicola Reavley & Shameran Slewa-Younan, 2023. "A Qualitative Exploration of Sources of Help for Mental Illness in Arabic-, Mandarin-, and Swahili-Speaking Communities in Sydney, Australia," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(10), pages 1-16, May.
    4. Horn, Christine & Gifford, Sandra M. & Ting, Christina Y.P., 2021. "Informal, essential and embedded: Transport strategies in remote Sarawak," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 96(C).
    5. Murphy, Matthew & Danis, Wade M. & Mack, Johnny & Sayers, (Kekinusuqs) Judith, 2020. "From principles to action: Community-based entrepreneurship in the Toquaht Nation," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 35(6).
    6. Umesh Shrivastava & Amit Kumar Dwivedi, 2021. "Manifestations of rural entrepreneurship: the journey so far and future pathways," Management Review Quarterly, Springer, vol. 71(4), pages 753-781, October.
    7. Snowden, Lonnie R. & Masland, Mary C. & Peng, Carol J. & Wei-Mien Lou, Christine & Wallace, Neal T., 2011. "Limited English proficient Asian Americans: Threshold language policy and access to mental health treatment," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 72(2), pages 230-237, January.
    8. Ilse Blignault & Hend Saab & Hanan Youssef & Heba Baddah & Klara Giourgas & Lisa Woodland, 2023. "“It Is Definitely a Good Program for Everyone from Every Community”: A Qualitative Study of Community Partner Perspectives on the Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) Mindfulness Program," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(16), pages 1-16, August.
    9. Hall, Jeremy K. & Daneke, Gregory A. & Lenox, Michael J., 2010. "Sustainable development and entrepreneurship: Past contributions and future directions," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 25(5), pages 439-448, September.
    10. Koehne, Florian & Woodward, Richard & Honig, Benson, 2022. "The potentials and perils of prosocial power: Transnational social entrepreneurship dynamics in vulnerable places," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 37(4).
    11. Carlos Poblete & Vesna Mandakovic, 2021. "Innovative outcomes from migrant entrepreneurship: a matter of whether you think you can, or think you can’t," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 17(2), pages 571-592, June.
    12. Ericka Molina-Ramírez & Virginia Barba-Sánchez, 2021. "Embeddedness as a Differentiating Element of Indigenous Entrepreneurship: Insights from Mexico," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-19, February.
    13. Julian Gorman & Diane Pearson & Penelope Wurm, 2020. "Old Ways, New Ways—Scaling Up from Customary Use of Plant Products to Commercial Harvest Taking a Multifunctional, Landscape Approach," Land, MDPI, vol. 9(5), pages 1-20, May.
    14. Rony Kayrouz & Blake F Dear & Luke Johnston & Liliane Keyrouz & Edmond Nehme & Roy Laube & Nickolai Titov, 2015. "Intergenerational and cross-cultural differences in emotional wellbeing, mental health service utilisation, treatment-seeking preferences and acceptability of psychological treatments for Arab Austral," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 61(5), pages 484-491, August.
    15. Stumpf, T.S. & Swanger, Nancy, 2017. "Institutions and transaction costs in foreign-local hotel ventures: A grounded investigation in the developing Pacific," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 368-379.
    16. Zuhair ABBAS & Roman ZAMECNIK & Ismat HAIDER & Saima WASIM & Afshan KHAN & Ather AKHLAQ & Kanwal HUSSAIN, 2021. "Barriers To Accessing Mental Health Services: A Perspective From Working And Non-Working Class," Proceedings of the INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE, Faculty of Management, Academy of Economic Studies, Bucharest, Romania, vol. 15(1), pages 647-659, November.
    17. Bacq, Sophie & Hertel, Christina & Lumpkin, G.T., 2022. "Communities at the nexus of entrepreneurship and societal impact: A cross-disciplinary literature review," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 37(5).
    18. Scheyvens, Regina & Carr, Anna & Movono, Apisalome & Hughes, Emma & Higgins-Desbiolles, Freya & Mika, Jason Paul, 2021. "Indigenous tourism and the sustainable development goals," Annals of Tourism Research, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jscscx:v:11:y:2022:i:4:p:157-:d:785035. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.