The New Entrepreneurs

Recent College graduate Oscar Benitez sheds light on the economy of Mexican business ownership in South Philadelphia.

Priya Ratneshwar

During his sophomore year, Urban Studies major Oscar Benitez, C’09, received a grant from Penn’s Institute for Urban Research to study the domestic economy of a small but growing immigrant Mexican community in Philadelphia. Over the course of three years, his research turned into a 90-page thesis that took Benitez both to the taquerias of South Philadelphia as well as to the offices of City Hall.

Benitez explains that, unlike Los Angeles, Miami or cities in Texas, Philadelphia has not traditionally been a destination for Latin American immigrants. However, in the past two decades, Philly and other Rust Belt cities like Detroit and Milwaukee have seen more than a 90 percent rise in their Mexican populations. Additionally, Benitez found that since 1994, the number of Mexican-owned businesses in South Philadelphia grew from one to nearly 100. His study explores the opportunities provided by local conditions to immigrant entrepreneurs, as well as some of the social, cultural and economic resources these entrepreneurs draw upon when they engage in new business formation.

Click here to continue reading and to watch a video of Benitez describing his research experience.