Small Business Issues

This page offers an easy way for policymakers to access small business research and analysis that is relevant to current Congressional agendas. For additional information, to request documents, or to arrange a briefing, contact the RAND Office of Congressional Relations at ocr@rand.org or (703) 413-1100 x5395.

Recent Findings

Blog

Will Small Firms Self-Insure After Jan. 1, 2014? — Jun 17, 2013

Doctor with young womanBecause of the ACA's regulations, some smaller employers with young and healthy workers are considering avoiding the purchase of health care coverage in the regulated market, opting instead to self-insure their employees.

Journal Article

Rules Allowing Small Businesses to Opt Out of Health Reform Should Have Minor Impact on Insurance Cost — Feb 8, 2012

Rules that allow some small employers to avoid regulation under the federal Affordable Care Act are unlikely to have a major impact on the future cost of health insurance unless those rules are relaxed to allow more businesses to opt out.

Report

The Effects of the Affordable Care Act on Workers' Health Insurance Coverage — Sep 1, 2010

The Affordable Care Act builds on the employer-based health insurance system by developing exchanges through which small employers can offer coverage and by penalizing large employers that do not offer coverage. The exchanges could alleviate some of the difficulties faced by small firms that want to offer insurance.

Report

First International Conference on Entrepreneurship: Policies for Growth — Nov 25, 2009

Participants at this conference presented research on and discussed policy issues affecting the growth of entrepreneurship in India, with special emphasis on education and the effective utilization of infrastructure. This document summarizes the proceedings and includes several of the speakers' presentations.

Report

U.S. Department of Defense Faces Obstacles in Meeting Small-Business Contract Goals — Nov 12, 2008

Many of the goods and services purchased by the U.S. Department of Defense are from industries that are often better suited to larger companies rather than smaller ones, complicating efforts to meet goals that about one-fourth of prime-contract dollars be awarded to small businesses.

More Research on Small Businesses

Briefings

Health Insurance for Small Businesses — Apr 4, 2008

Susan M. Gates and Christine Eibner will present Better Understanding the Health Insurance Issues that Small Firms Face at a RAND Congressional Briefing on April 4.

The Effect of Sarbanes-Oxley on Firm Exits from the Public Market — Feb 25, 2008

Pinar Karaca-Mandic will present How Does Sarbanes-Oxley Affect Firms' Decisions to Stay in the Public Market or Go Private? at a RAND Congressional Briefing on February 25.
More Small Business Briefings

Testimony

April 26, 2007
Improving the Department of Defense's Small Business Innovation Research Program

Bruce Held

Testimony presented before the House Science and Technology Committee, Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation.

January 4, 2007
Nanomaterials in the Workplace: A Summary of the RAND Policy and Planning Workshop on Occupational Safety and Health

Eric Landree

Testimony presented to Public Meeting on Research Needs Related to the Environmental, Health, and Safety Aspects of Engineered Nanoscale Materials.

More Testimony

Briefs

Does Employer-Based Health Insurance Discourage Entrepreneurship and New Business Creation? — 2011

Raises concerns that the bundling of health insurance and employment may discourage business creation.

How Will the Affordable Care Act Affect Employee Health Coverage at Small Businesses? — 2010

Finds that the Affordable Care Act will increase the percentage of employers that offer health coverage to workers: from 57 percent to 80 percent for firms with 50 or fewer workers, and from 90 percent to 98 percent for firms with 51 to 100 workers.

Is the Economic Burden of Providing Health Insurance Greater for Small Firms Than for Large Firms? — 2008

This research brief reports that, from 2000 to 2005, the economic burden of providing health insurance increased for employers, especially for the smallest firms, and that small firms offered plans of slightly lower quality than did large firms.

Do Benefits of Sarbanes-Oxley Justify the Costs? Empirical Evidence in the Case of Small Firms — 2007

This research brief summarizes the impact of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) on small firms based on a review of studies of relative compliance costs, stock-price reactions, and exit patterns from the public market.

Is Special Regulatory Treatment for Small Businesses Working as Intended? — 2007

This research brief summarizes a compilation of studies on several kinds of regulation of small firms and their intended and actual effects, as well as how to ensure that such regulations have the effects intended.

More Small Business Briefs

My RAND ?

Saved Items

Recommended

View My Profile

For More Information

Jill Brimmer

Legislative Analyst

(703) 413-1100, ext. 5299
Jill_Brimmer@rand.org

Jill Brimmer

Jill Brimmer is the legislative analyst in the Office of Congressional Relations at the RAND Corporation for health, judiciary, and small business. Prior to joining RAND, she worked in the Office of Congressman Michael H. Michaud…

Related Topics