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The purpose of this paper is to examine governmental support to immigrant entrepreneurs and its impact on their businesses. The study seeks to explore the needs of immigrant entrepreneurs as to government support schemes, and the impact of government policy upon mobilization of resources and growth of immigrant businesses.

Combining convenient and snowball sample, 218 former Soviet Union immigrant entrepreneurs from all over Israel and all business spheres were surveyed via a questionnaire. Data analysis was conducted by quantitative statistical methods.

Entrepreneurs who encountered more problems at business start‐up are more likely to receive government support. Receiving support facilitates mobilizing resources and compensates for fewer opportunities of initially weak businesses.

Further research might focus upon comparing the impact of policy on immigrant entrepreneurs between countries. Utilization of the findings by policy makers may improve the impact of policy and help to focus the allocation of resources more efficiently.

The paper provides valuable insight for academics and practitioners who are interested to foster immigrant entrepreneurship as mechanism of economic integration.

The purpose of this study is to investigate how ethnic niches of immigrants affected their integration. Immigrants' integration in the host society is described by the integration of immigrants in their private life and integration in the labor market.

Data were collected in 2006‐2007 in Israel. Combining convenient and snowball samples, 321 immigrants from the Former Soviet Union were surveyed via a questionnaire. The questionnaire was presented in the immigrants' native language or in Hebrew, according to the respondent's choice.

The study revealed that the salient factors that influence the immigrants' integration in the host society relate to their incorporation in the labor market. Being in an ethnic niche in private life does not influence the immigrants' integration in the host society. But being in an ethnic niche in the labor market does influence immigrants' integration. In summary, the study revealed that immigrants who are in ethnic niches in private life perceive themselves as integrated into the host society. Immigrants who are in ethnic niches in the labor market perceive themselves as less integrated.

The paper contributes to understanding the role of ethnic niches in immigrants' integration in the host society and provides valuable insight for academics and practitioners who are interested to appreciate immigrants' integration.

The purpose of this paper is to develop a framework for analyzing preference for innovation of different groups of hi‐tech workers according to their culture of origin and gender.

A quantitative survey was conducted online among veteran Israelis, immigrants from North America, Western countries and immigrants from the Former Soviet Union employed in 60 different high‐tech organizations.

The paper developed the application of Bourdieu's concept of habitus, adopting it to migration research and to understanding preference of changes and innovativeness. The authors also developed a framework for analyzing the preference of innovation according to workers’ gender and culture of origin. Based on the Entrepreneurial Drive Theory regarding preference for innovation and nonconformity of Florin et al., the authors determined four dimensions characterizing innovativeness.

The limitation of this study was the relatively small number of participants interviewed. The paper focused on only two ethnic immigrant groups.

The study should contribute to migration research, but also to social research on innovation. It can help understand what (and how) shapes innovativeness, both in the migratory processes and among the native population of the host country. Such understanding can contribute to encourage innovativeness resulting in economic development.