Overcoming the liability of outsidership: An fsQCA analysis of African transnational entrepreneurs in the UK

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate the set of conditions required for Transnational Entrepreneurs (TEs) to overcome the liability of outsidership in a host country. Using a fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) approach, our results offer fresh perspectives on the configurations of antecedents required to overcome the liability of outsidership. The configurations are equifinally linked to overcoming the liability of outsidership and gaining insidership into mainstream networks in a host country. The findings stress the importance of TEs’ co-ethnic embeddedness in networks as a key construct in overcoming liability of outsidership (LO) and the need for TEs to engage with the mainstream networks in the host country.