Q&A on the Economy and Entrepreneurs

Tim Kane took questions today at the Post about the economy and small businesses. This question and answer was interesting (WP):

Washington, D.C.: A new Kauffman study (pdf) says immigrants are becoming entrepreneurs at a higher rate than natives. Why do you think that is and what are the characteristics imigrants have that may be fueling this trend?

Tim Kane: Hi D.C. Yes, my colleague Bob Litan and I have written another paper advancing what we call "knowledge economy immigration" so I have a strong opinion here. Immigrants have probably always been more entrepreneurial than the native born, just by the nature of their efforts and personality in migrating. But Vivek Wadhwa has identified some key facts that bear attention by Congress. We've sponsored some of his research which you can find at kauffman.org, but I recommend his BizWeek columns highly also.

Bottom line: migrants not only create more companies on average, but they crate more jobs, too. It's a win-win for the U.S. to have high skill migrants here, and Congress should be working on an "entrepreneurs visa."

On the down side, though Tim offered, no one asked any questions about the new Star Trek movie. So Tim, is it still true that Vulcans never smile?