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This paper expands the existing literature on ethnicity and economic activity in Britain by studying the impact of religion and class. It argues that while the class location of the different South-Asian groups is important in determining their labour market outcomes, it does not operate independently from ethnicity; rather it is highly influenced by ethnicity in the process of determining the labour market participation of these groups. We use data obtained from the 2001 UK Census on Indian, Pakistani, and Bangladeshi men and women aged between twenty and twenty nine. Our findings confirm that class structure of the South-Asian groups is highly ethnicized, in that the ethno-religious background and class are interwoven to the extent that the separation between them is not easy, if not impossible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whilst it is acknowledged that refugees are more likely to select into self-employment due to discrimination and labour market exclusion, we know little about how their ventures perform over time. To address this gap, we draw upon qualitative longitudinal evidence gathered in 2010 and 2018 in the UK to explore the outcomes of their ventures and what strategies they have put in place. We argue that the trajectories of refugee-owned businesses are explained by their structural position and the strategies, resources, and business support networks, highlighting that refugee entrepreneurs re-work their condition in a manner that is much more proactive and resilient than suggested by extant portrayals of refugee entrepreneurship. Our analysis sheds new light on the dynamics of refugee business development and encourages a more nuanced theoretical approach to evaluate these enterprises as vehicles for integration against the backdrop of neoliberal Britain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The disadvantage experienced in the labour market by the ethnic groups currently in Britain has long been established. This study builds on earlier research by exploring how far religious affiliation can explain these inequalities. Distinguishing the effects of ethnicity and religion is difficult for both conceptual and technical reasons, due to the ‘identification’ problem. We therefore estimate the effects by focusing on cases where ethnicity and religion cross-cut each other, excluding those groups where ethnicity and religion coincide. The results demonstrate a strong ‘Muslim penalty’ for both women and men from different ethnic groups with respect to economic activity and unemployment. Furthermore, the apparent ‘ethnic’ effects estimated for Pakistanis and Bangladeshis in models that do not control for religion prove to be similar in magnitude to the effect of Muslim religion estimated in models from which Pakistanis and Bangladeshis have been excluded. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]