Impact of the Legal Environment on Refugee Entrepreneurs in Jordan

Abstract

This study investigates the impact of Jordan’s legal environment on Syrian refugee entrepreneurs. Drawing on original qualitative data and a rigorous analysis of legal policy, the research demonstrates how civil and legal documentation issues, property ownership restrictions, and labour market regulations pose significant challenges to the establishment and sustainability of entrepreneurial ventures. The findings reveal that Jordan’s legal framework creates not only administrative hurdles but also structural barriers that inhibit the economic integration of refugees and entrench long-term precarity. By analysing the intricate interplay between legal status, regulatory regimes, and entrepreneurial strategies, this research offers novel insights into how law and policy shape refugee livelihoods in displacement contexts. It challenges policy narratives that uncritically portray refugee entrepreneurship as an unproblematic solution for integration, arguing instead for the critical need to reform restrictive legal infrastructures. The paper provides empirical evidence that targeted regulatory reforms could substantially enhance refugee entrepreneurship, foster economic inclusion, and advance Jordan’s broader development goals. Ultimately, this study's empirically grounded and theoretically informed account of refugee economic agency advances scholarly debates on forced migration, legal marginalisation, and the political economy of displacement within host states.

Keywords: Refugee Entrepreneurs, Legal Environment, Syrian Refugees, Jordan, Economic Integration, Property Ownership, Labour Market

DOI: 10.7176/JLPG/149-12

Publication date: November 28^th 2025