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Small Businesses

Report
Feasibility Study for a What Works Centre for Safety
This study explores the potential impact of establishing a What Works Centre for Safety and concludes that it would add value to existing work in this area, but its feasibility will depend on the balance struck across different strategic dimensions.
Sep 11, 2023
Journal Article
Evaluation of an Organisational-Level Monetary Incentive to Promote the Health and Wellbeing of Workers in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises: A Mixed-Methods Cluster Randomised Controlled Trial
An independent evaluation was conducted on the effectiveness of an organisational-level monetary incentive to encourage small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to improve employees' health and wellbeing.
Jul 11, 2023
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
Report
Keeping the Defense Industrial Base Afloat During COVID-19: A Review of Department of Defense and Federal Government Policies and Investments in the Defense Industrial Base
Concerns about the financial solvency of the Defense Industrial Base (DIB) during the pandemic prompted the U.S. government to make policy changes to support the DIB. The authors summarize investments in the DIB made during the pandemic.
Dec 21, 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
Commentary
Challenges and barriers that limit the productivity and competitiveness of UK defence supply chains
Small and medium-sized companies attempting to enter and operate in the UK's defence market face several barriers that can limit productivity of defence supply chains. Addressing these challenges is key to improving productivity and competitiveness.
Jul 6, 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
Blog
RAND Art + Data, 'Gray Market Care,' Supply Chains and Cyberattacks: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on RAND's new artist residency program, Art + Data; the prevalence of “gray market care” in the United States; supply chains' cyber problem; and more.
Jun 25, 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
Report
How small businesses are coping with the impact of COVID-19: Results from a survey in Turkey and the Middle East
SPARK, an NGO supporting young people's access to education and employment, commissioned RAND Europe to conduct a survey to understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Middle East and Turkey.
Jul 6, 2020
Commentary
Small Businesses Need the Right Kind of Help to Survive COVID-19
Small and medium-sized companies are less equipped than large ones to weather the devastating effects of the pandemic. What could policymakers do to help these businesses get the help they need?
Jun 26, 2020
Commentary
A Path to Recovery from COVID-19 for Small Businesses
The COVID-19 pandemic has hammered small businesses around the United States. We spoke with 21 small business owners to learn more about the challenges they are facing and how they might best be helped.
Jun 25, 2020
Blog
COVID-19's Effects on U.S. Schools, Vaccine Uptake, Small Businesses: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on how COVID-19 has affected U.S. schools, potential barriers to vaccine uptake, what small businesses need to survive, and more.
May 29, 2020
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
Commentary
The Danger of Converting a Health Crisis into a Financial Crisis
The impulse to do something to help businesses right now is well-intended, but lending to companies that were highly leveraged pre-crisis is a risky bet. Assistance could be best directed toward sound enterprises that are likely to survive and contribute to boosting the economy in the coming years.
Apr 13, 2020
Multimedia
The Economic Impacts of COVID-19
In this Call with the Experts podcast, RAND researchers discuss the impacts the COVID-19 outbreak might have on the global economy and consider policy actions that could be taken to help facilitate rapid economic recovery.
Mar 23, 2020
Q&A
The Social Distancing Economy: Q&A with RAND Experts
Congress and the White House are weighing economic policies to help people acutely affected by the coronavirus pandemic. Here are insights from RAND experts on what might be effective in terms of fiscal policy, stimulus spending, and emergency relief to affected workers.
Mar 18, 2020
Report
Wellbeing Premium randomised controlled trial for small and medium-sized enterprises: Recruitment evaluation report: Understanding factors influencing firms' recruitment
RAND Europe conducted a recruitment evaluation of SMEs to the Wellbeing Premium Programme run in the West Midlands. The overall study aims to establish whether SMEs will improve the health and wellbeing offer in response to a financial incentive.
Oct 28, 2019
Journal Article
A Case Study of Climate Change, Extreme Weather Events, and Risk Communication in a Coastal Community
A longitudinal case study with a single location design was used to explore the relationships between climate change, extreme events, and economic outcomes for a coastal business located in the southeastern U.S.
Jul 3, 2019

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Research conducted by

Researcher Spotlight

Cristian Cardenas

Ph.D. Student, Pardee RAND Graduate School, and Assistant Policy Researcher, RAND

Cristian Cardenas (he/him) is an assistant policy researcher at RAND and a Ph.D. student in the Community-Partnered Policy and Action stream at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. He has an M.B.S. in clinical and regulatory affairs from Keck Graduate Institute and a B.S. in biotechnology with a…
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…

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