The Fall and Rise of Small Businesses
Race, Government Aid, and Growth After the Pandemic
$91.38
- Paperback
288 pages
- Release Date
8 September 2026
Summary
The Fall and Rise of Small Businesses
This book provides the first comprehensive analysis of the plight of small businesses, social distancing restrictions, racial inequality, government aid, and broader measures of the US economy during the pandemic and economic recovery.
Robert Fairlie weaves evidence from the most up-to-date data on business activity, as well as novel data on PPP receipt and business outcomes recently released by the US Census Bureau, to tell a compelling…
Book Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780262054751 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10: | 0262054752 |
| Author: | Robert W. Fairlie |
| Publisher: | MIT Press Ltd |
| Imprint: | MIT Press |
| Format: | Paperback |
| Number of Pages: | 288 |
| Release Date: | 8 September 2026 |
| Weight: | 369g |
| Dimensions: | 152mm x 229mm |
Critics Review
ENDORSEMENTS
“Small businesses were hit hard during the pandemic, but this book shows how they adapted, survived, and helped drive the recovery. It’s essential reading for anyone serious about building a stronger, more inclusive economy.”
—Jimmy Gomez, U.S. House of Representatives
“COVID-19 upended main streets nationwide, prompting governments and communities to prioritize small business survival. Robert Fairlie offers an analysis of these efforts, highlighting key outcomes and considerations for strengthening future response and resilience.”
—Honorable Isabel Casillas Guzman, 27th Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Admin-istration; Founder and President, Avenida Advisors
“Small businesses, especially those owned by minorities, were decimated by the COVID-19 pandemic, but they staged a remarkable rebound. This engaging, fast-moving, and meticu-lously researched volume describes this experience and distills important insights on small business dynamics and potential policy levers.”
—James Poterba, Mitsui Professor of Economics, MIT; President, National Bureau of Economic Research
“The federal pandemic response was impressively quick, large, and imperfect. The compre-hensive analysis in this book is a must-read for those interested in effective policy for small businesses … especially before the next crisis.”
—Cecilia Elena Rouse, President, Brookings Institution; Katzman-Ernst Professor in the Economics of Education, Princeton University; Chair of the Council of Economic Advisors, 2021–2023
Robert W. Fairlie
Robert Fairlie is Distinguished Professor at UCLA and a member of the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER). He has testified in front of the US Senate, US House of Representatives, US Department of Treasury, and the California State Assembly, and was honored with Joint Resolution #1066 by the California State Assembly and Senate. He is the coauthor of Race and Entrepreneurial Success and The Promise and Peril of Entrepreneurship (both MIT Press).
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