Entrepreneurship in the Scottish Diaspora: A Historical Perspective

The Scottish Diaspora has a global reputation for entrepreneurship and innovation. Historically, the Scots have indeed 'punched well above their weight' in terms of their influence over business, politics, education and religion around the world. Andrew Carnegie is most famous among this group as the archetypical entrepreneur who was born in Dunfermline and moved to the USA as a child where he went on to found Carnegie Steel. The company would make him the richest man alive and Carnegie would bring the same innovation that had made him wealthy to his philanthropic efforts. Other infamous entrepreneurs of Scottish origins included George Stephen, Henry Eckford and James Forgan who all made fortunes in Canada and the USA but less mentioned are the thousands of Scots who were active and often dominant in businesses both in North America and across the British Empire.

The entrepreneurial zeal of the Scottish Diaspora has often extended beyond business to politics. William Wedderburn, a Scottish civil servant of the British Empire, was one of the founders of the Indian National Congress which would later lead India to independence, while in the USA half of the signatories to the Declaration of Independence were of Scottish descent. The Scots were also innovators in education with Scot, John Witherspoon being one of Princeton's first and most influential Presidents. Several of the founders of the University of Pennsylvania were also Scottish. In religious life, Scottish ministers and missionaries - including the infamous David Livingstone - were found around the globe and in fact dominated the Presbyterian and Episcopal Churches of America in the years following their foundation.

It's been suggested by many that the origins of this passion for entrepreneurship and innovation were to be found in the Scottish homeland where several factors conspired to produce an exceptionally dynamic Diaspora…

Education - it's been suggested that the famous tradition of Scottish elementary and higher education provided Scots with a competitive advantage over other migrants. Even on the transportation ships to Australia - Scots were far more likely to be literate than their English or Irish counterparts. For centuries, the Scottish Universities had also been producing a surplus of graduates. One of the poorest economies in Europe before the industrial revolution, Scotland traditionally offered these graduate far fewer opportunities than those available overseas and so the numbers of Scottish trained professionals migrating was disproportionate.

Skills - it's not just formal education that marked Scots out - as many as half of the Scottish migrants who left between 1815 and 1914 were skilled or semi-skilled. The Clyde's engineering workshops and Scotland's culture of apprenticeships created a skilled population. Particularly in agriculture, Scots had a competitive advantage because they had been trained in the progressive techniques of advanced agriculture. Lowland Scots also benefited in Australasia and North America by having English as their native tongue.

Work ethic - it has been argued that Scotland's culture was pervaded by protestant work ethic which made Scottish migrants likely to be hard working - "the devil makes work for idle hands".

Innovation -2.3 million Scots left their homeland for overseas destinations from 1825-1938. This was an age when innovations within Scotland - from the bicycle to the crane to the telephone - were creating far reach changes both Scotland and the world beyond. Could it be that the infamous successes of these entrepreneurs meant that pioneering creativity became part of what it meant to be Scottish?

Networks - like most emigrants, the majority of Scottish migrants were going to friends or relatives in the New World. They used their existing networks or social capital find jobs and accommodation in their new country while often also creating new contacts in the wider Scottish diasporic community.

A Global People? Devine has called the Scots a "global people" whose diasporic roots were established in medieval and early modern Scotland and spread across the world. Did this culture of movement make Scots more adaptable than their counterparts? Like all immigrants members of the Scottish Diaspora would have benefited from their experiences of traversing different social, cultural, political and physical landscapes.

Ultimately, members of the Scottish Diaspora often left their homeland as young, skilled or semi-skilled men and women. Their decision to leave home in search of a better life was a demonstration of the ambition which would go on to drive the entrepreneurial ventures of many. Poverty in Scotland is no longer as absolute and so the push factors have lessened but the draw of new opportunities, experiences and cultures still seems to spark the ambitions of many young Scots. The entrepreneurial journey of many in the Scottish Diaspora began at home in Scotland. For many - like Andrew Carnegie - the journey was also reach part of its conclusion here. Whether members of the Diaspora did come home, their legacies of success have continued to inspire new generations of young Scots to seek and make new opportunities both within Scotland and beyond.