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Entrepreneurship

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Entrepreneurship—creating emerging sectors and new businesses to foster economic development—is a vital driver of the global economy. RAND research on U.S. entrepreneurship explores how public policy affects start-up businesses, from the impact of the Sarbanes–Oxley Act of 2002 to the problems posed by the U.S. employer-based health care system; worldwide, RAND research has focused on international trade and entrepreneurship in developing countries.

Commentary
Promoting Equity in Entrepreneurship Could Lift U.S. Economy
Entrepreneurial support for women and racial and ethnic minorities has the potential to improve wealth accumulation among these groups. It could also revitalize communities where minority business owners are located and boost economic growth by unlocking the talent of would-be entrepreneurs.
Aug 3, 2021
Essay
Dog Tag Bakery: A Fresh Start for Veterans
A bakery in Washington, D.C., brings together service-disabled post–9/11 veterans, military spouses, and caregivers. For five months, they are immersed in an intensive entrepreneurial-focused business program. It's become a model for helping veterans and others in the military community reestablish their lives.
Nov 1, 2022

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Report
Roles for City Governments in Entrepreneurial Ecosystems: An Initial Exploration
To enhance the understanding of the role of local government in entrepreneurial ecosystems, RAND researchers reviewed available resources and interviewed local officials from six selected cities from February to April 2022.
May 18, 2023
Research Brief
Fellowship Program Supports the Transition from Military to Civilian Life
Dog Tag Inc.'s entrepreneurial fellowship program helps veterans, their spouses, and their caregivers prepare for careers in the civilian workforce. In addition to occupational training in a variety of business sectors, the program offers wellness activities and peer support.
Oct 12, 2022
Report
The Impacts of Dog Tag Inc. A Mixed-Methods Exploration of an Entrepreneurial Fellowship for Veterans, Military Spouses, and Military Caregivers
This report describes efforts to help Dog Tag Inc. better understand the impacts of its entrepreneurial fellowship program, which seeks to help veterans, their spouses, and those who serve as their caregivers reintegrate into civilian life.
Oct 12, 2022
Blog
Insights on Afghanistan, Back to School, North Korea: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on the collapse in Afghanistan, what parents think about sending kids back to school, insights from game theory on North Korean denuclearization, and more.
Aug 20, 2021
Commentary
The Changing Nature of Entrepreneurship
The rise of technology-enabled services has made it easier than ever to start a business. But entrepreneurs who wish to succeed online face new costs and challenges.
Aug 18, 2021
Research Brief
The Prevalence of Criminal Records Among Small Business Owners
This research brief addresses a new estimate of how many U.S. small businesses have owners with criminal history records.
Jun 30, 2021
Report
Small Businesses, Criminal Histories, and the Paycheck Protection Program
The Paycheck Protection Program—signed into law as part of the CARES Act in March 2020—provided money for payroll, rent, mortgage, and utilities to small businesses. But companies owned by individuals with criminal backgrounds were ineligible to receive funds. Some of the restrictions were later relaxed, but how many business owners and employees were affected?
Jun 21, 2021
Blog
COVID-19 Testing in Schools, Family Caregivers, U.S. Entrepreneurship: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on COVID-19 testing in schools, giving a voice to family caregivers, preparing for daylight saving time, and more.
Mar 12, 2021
Commentary
Entrepreneurship in America: Challenges and Opportunities
There's a widespread belief that the United States is a leader in entrepreneurial activity, but evidence does not support this. What can be done to better support entrepreneurship and promote economic opportunity in America?
Mar 11, 2021
News Release
Preparing Now Can Help Small Businesses Revive More Quickly as the Economy Reopens, Business Owners Tell RAND
As small businesses reopen after a lengthy pandemic shutdown, one key challenge will be finding working capital to replenish inventories and pay employees until revenue returns to normal.
May 27, 2020
Commentary
How Small Businesses Are Surviving the Pandemic
Small-business owners are facing many challenges as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. What kinds of policies might help them in the immediate term? And what will they need to thrive once the public health crisis has passed?
May 22, 2020
Journal Article
When Financial Incentives Backfire: Evidence from a Community Health Worker Experiment in Uganda
Despite stronger financial incentives for community health workers, the entrepreneurial model led to substantially less effort (fewer household visits) than the free delivery model. Our results call into question the notion that an entrepreneurial model necessarily increases community health worker effort relative to free distribution.
Feb 13, 2020
Journal Article
Business Angel Spotlight
This study was a survey of Business Angels (high net worth individuals) in the UK to understand the trends and drivers in the start-up market in 2017. RAND Europe provided policy inputs that informed the findings of the study.
Oct 18, 2018
Commentary
Disneyland's Next Rival? The Theme Park in Your Living Room
Cheap and capable technologies available to everyone allow entrepreneurs and gamers to compete with the large multinational firms that develop and deliver entertainment. In 2018 we will see the arrival of micro amusement parks with technology-based rides.
Jan 10, 2018
Journal Article
Can Income Diversification Explain the Growing Entrepreneurship Gap by Age?
The key result of our analysis is that income diversification has become increasingly important in determining entrepreneurship, but that younger households became less likely over time to have income from multiple sources. At the same time, older households maintained their income diversification and their likelihood of working as entrepreneurs became more responsive to having substantial income from non-business sources such as capital income and Social Security benefits.
Aug 15, 2017
Commentary
How Uganda Could Benefit from a Center for Food Innovation
A training and innovation center that trains and certifies street food vendors to address issues related to food hygiene, safety, and quality would accelerate the growth of a new Ugandan cuisine that capitalizes on nutritious local ingredients in a sustainable manner.
May 23, 2017
Commentary
What Street Food Vendors in Uganda Need to Succeed
Street vendors in Kampala, Uganda, would benefit from infrastructure development, food safety standards, rules of hygiene, and greater focus on healthy products. The city's growing population also would benefit from increased access to nutritious and affordable foods.
May 16, 2017
Report
Combining Entrepreneurship and Web Development for High School Students: A Pilot Evaluation of the Startup Tech Program and High School Students' College and Career Aspirations
This pilot evaluation of Startup Tech assesses whether 12th-grade students experienced either improved self-efficacy or changes in their college and career plans during the year in which they were in the program.
Jan 6, 2017

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Research conducted by

Researcher Spotlight

Susan M. Gates

Director, Office of Research Quality Assurance

Susan M. Gates is director of the Office of Research Quality Assurance, a senior economist at RAND, and a professor at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. Her research applies insights about the economics of organizations, personnel economics, and labor economics to address challenges facing public…
Troy D. Smith

Associate Economist

Troy Smith is an economist at the RAND Corporation and professor of policy analysis at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. His research is in applied microeconomics focusing on education, entrepreneurship, development, and labor.

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