Nicaraguans in Miami-Dade County: Immigration, Incorporation, and Transnational Entrepreneurship

Abstract

This article examines major characteristics of immigration from Nicaragua to Miami Dade County (MDC). It focuses on the post-revolution period and addresses issues pertaining to major immigration trends and labor market incorporation in light of certain characteristics such as human capital, gender, and immigration status. The ethnic economy of Nicaraguans in MDC is studied against a backdrop of labor market incorporation and immigrant entrepreneurship theories by placing them in a transnational perspective. It demonstrates that Nicaraguans have not developed an “ethnic enclave,” a “trade-oriented community,” or a “middleman minority.” Elements of all three types coexist among Nicaraguans in a truncated fashion in an entrepreneurial formation framed by increasing transnationalism, since the early 1990s. The article addresses several empirical and theoretical issues on these topics.