Read more
Minority Entrepreneurship reviews the economic and sociological literature on the topic of minority entrepreneurship. While economists and sociologists have written most of the influential studies, these groups typically ask different questions and base their analysis on different assumptions. The literature predictably lacks a single unifying focus and is quite diverse regarding issues explored and methodological approaches employed. Differing approaches and their outcomes are summarized and critically probed in this monograph with the intent to illuminate strengths and weaknesses -- along with patterns of common findings -- in this voluminous literature.
Minority-owned businesses are collectively reflections of evolving constraints and opportunities operating in broader society. Minorities seeking to create viable business ventures have traditionally faced higher barriers than whites as they sought to exploit market opportunities, raise financing, and penetrate mainstream networks. Entrepreneurial dynamics are clarified by focusing upon specific contexts in which firms are being shaped by prevailing opportunity structures. Progress has been noteworthy overall for minority-owned businesses, in part because barriers impeding their collective development have been gradually declining.
Minority Entrepreneurship shows that the dominant methodological approaches and findings of economists and sociologists in the minority entrepreneurship literature are highly complementary. Sociologists have posed bolder questions while economists have paid more attention to pinning down cause-and-effect relationships, yet their findings have been gradually moving towards convergence over the past two decades. This monograph posits that it is possible and desirable that these respective bodies of work may someday merge, creating a minority entrepreneurship scholarly synthesis.
List of contents
1. Small business overview. 2. A brief history of the minority business community in the U.S. 3. Social resources, ethnic enclaves, and the contributions of sociologists. 4. Explaining minority entry into self employment. 5. Barriers restricting the size and scope of the minority business community. 6. Measuring success among minority entrepreneurs. 7. Directions for future research. References.
