Exploring Immigration and Entrepreneurship: Guest Lecture by Professor Ho-Don Yan
Written by Shania Andea Perdana
The IBMBA program welcomed Professor Ho-Don Yan from Feng Chia University as a guest speaker in the International Economics course. Professor Yan holds a PhD in Economics from the State University of New York and delivered a lecture about immigration and entrepreneurship.
Professor Yan began by revisiting the foundational economic principle of gains from trade, such as free trade (comparative advantage), free capital mobility, and free labor mobility. While trade and capital increasingly flow across borders with relative ease, labor mobility (international migration) remains a contested dimension of globalization. Citing global research, he emphasized that removing barriers to immigration has the potential to raise worldwide GDP by 64 to 120%, reflecting economic value created when workers can move to where their skills are most productive.
Professor Yan also outlined four major areas of research in entrepreneurship study: the factors that drive individuals to start businesses, the characteristics of entrepreneurs, the policy, and the economic consequences. He noted that studies examine whether immigrants are more inclined to create new ventures and in which industrial sectors, whether they earn more or less, and whether they are motivated by necessity or opportunity.
Toward the end of the lecture, Professor Yan discussed policy implications related to Taiwan. He highlighted the importance of continuing efforts to support married immigrants to integrate into the society, create more opportunities and resources to encourage immigrant entrepreneurship, and develop strategies to attract global talents to immigrate and work in Taiwan to strengthen Taiwan’s competitiveness.
Professor Yan’s lecture offered students an understanding of how labor mobility and entrepreneurial activity shape economic performance, inviting them to consider immigration not only as a social issue but also as a key driver of innovation and long-term growth for a nation.
