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Black-Owned Firms, Financial Constraints, and the Firm Size Gap

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Listed:
  • J. David Brown
  • John S. Earle
  • Mee Jung Kim
  • Kyung Min Lee
  • Jared Wold

Abstract

We document the smaller average employment size and lower financial access of Black-owned businesses compared to White-owned businesses. Controlling for other characteristics, we find that observed differences in finance account for 60 percent of the 11.3 percent racial gap in number of employees; differences in returns account for 103 percent. The results imply that if both the levels and returns on finance were equalized across races, then Black-owned firms would be 18.4 percent larger than their actual size. Equalizing financial factors alone would reverse the firm size gap so that Black-owned firms would be larger than White-owned firms by 7.1 percent.

Suggested Citation

  • J. David Brown & John S. Earle & Mee Jung Kim & Kyung Min Lee & Jared Wold, 2022. "Black-Owned Firms, Financial Constraints, and the Firm Size Gap," AEA Papers and Proceedings, American Economic Association, vol. 112, pages 282-286, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:aea:apandp:v:112:y:2022:p:282-86
    DOI: 10.1257/pandp.20221027
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Timothy Bates, 1988. "Do black-owned businesses employ minority workers? new evidence," The Review of Black Political Economy, Springer;National Economic Association, vol. 16(4), pages 51-64, March.
    2. Robert W. Fairlie & Alicia M. Robb, 2007. "Why Are Black-Owned Businesses Less Successful than White-Owned Businesses? The Role of Families, Inheritances, and Business Human Capital," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 25(2), pages 289-323.
    3. Kim, Mee Jung & Lee, Kyung Min & Brown, J. David & Earle, John S., 2021. "Black Entrepreneurs, Job Creation, and Financial Constraints," IZA Discussion Papers 14403, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    4. J David Brown & John S Earle & Mee Jung Kim & Kyung Min Lee, 2019. "Start-ups, job creation, and founder characteristics," Industrial and Corporate Change, Oxford University Press and the Associazione ICC, vol. 28(6), pages 1637-1672.
    5. Timothy Bates, 1994. "Utilization of minority employees in small business: A comparison of nonminority and black-owned urban enterprises," The Review of Black Political Economy, Springer;National Economic Association, vol. 23(1), pages 113-121, June.
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    Cited by:

    1. Colleen Casey & Timothy Bates & Joseph Farhat, 2023. "Linkages between regional characteristics and small businesses viability," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 61(2), pages 617-629, August.
    2. Kame Babilla, Thierry U., 2023. "Digital innovation and financial access for small and medium-sized enterprises in a currency union," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 120(C).

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • D22 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Firm Behavior: Empirical Analysis
    • G21 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Banks; Other Depository Institutions; Micro Finance Institutions; Mortgages
    • G32 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Financing Policy; Financial Risk and Risk Management; Capital and Ownership Structure; Value of Firms; Goodwill
    • J15 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Minorities, Races, Indigenous Peoples, and Immigrants; Non-labor Discrimination
    • L25 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Firm Performance

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