Banking on Black Enterprise: The Potential of Emerging Firms for Revitalizing Urban Economies

Since the 1960s, black businesses have been diversifying and expanding in response to increases in entrepreneurial talent and investment capital. Opportunities created by policies such as procurement set-aside programs have induced better educated, younger blacks to create and expand firms in new lines of business, including wholesaling, contracting, and skill-intensive services. Bates argues that targeting assistance toward these emerging small businesses could go far toward halting the chro…