RAPID: How Do Small Businesses Cope with the Impacts of COVID-19? From A Community Perspective

RAPID：小型企业如何应对 COVID-19 的影响？

• 批准号: 2029516
• 负责人: Qingfang Wang
• 金额: $ 5.32万
• 依托单位: University of California-Riverside
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2020-06-01 至 2021-05-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2029516&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: RAPID; How; Do; Small; Businesses

This Rapid Response Research (RAPID) project examines the impacts of COVID-19 on small businesses, and how they and their communities react to and cope with associated challenges. Small businesses currently account for 99.9 percent of US firms and employ 47.5 percent of all US workers. Yet, small businesses are more likely to be economically vulnerable, be under-insured, and less likely to have contingency plans. In particular, small businesses in underrepresented communities and peripheral areas face formidable barriers and challenges in preparing for and responding to emergencies and social or natural disasters. This study’s interdisciplinary approach and analytical results will help public policy address disparity and inequality issues, in particular the opportunities and challenges facing small business owners. In addition, it unpacks one facet of community recovery – the importance of businesses’ ability to continue operating and employing people. Therefore, the study will enhance knowledge about how empowering local businesses, increasing diverse employment opportunities, and enhancing private sector enterprises' adaptive capacity contribute to broader community-level resilience.This project examines small business vulnerability and resilience through small businesses’ responses to COVID-19 and their adaptation practices within communities, drawing upon data gathered from business surveys and in-depth interviews. It also explores different approaches to risk mitigation and business preparedness intended to enhance their future resilience. This study goes beyond the traditional lens of physical and financial resources, emphasizing the strength of community-based networks in helping small businesses promptly respond to disasters, and how these networks influence the links between economic and social, and between individual and community resilience. It examines a broad spectrum of businesses under the impacts of social and public health crisis, and particularly highlights the role of social inequalities, unemployment, and low income as a critical source of vulnerability and lack of resilience.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

这个快速反应研究（RAPID）项目研究了COVID-19对小企业的影响，以及他们和他们的社区如何应对和科普相关挑战。小企业目前占美国公司的99.9%，雇用了美国所有工人的47.5%。然而，小企业更有可能在经济上脆弱，保险不足，而且不太可能有应急计划。特别是，代表性不足的社区和周边地区的小企业在准备和应对紧急情况和社会或自然灾害方面面临巨大的障碍和挑战。这项研究的跨学科方法和分析结果将有助于公共政策解决差距和不平等问题，特别是小企业主面临的机遇和挑战。此外，它揭示了社区恢复的一个方面-企业继续经营和雇用人员的能力的重要性。因此，该研究将进一步了解如何增强当地企业的能力，增加多样化的就业机会，并提高私营部门企业的适应能力，以促进更广泛的社区层面的复原力。本项目通过小企业对COVID-19的反应及其在社区内的适应实践，利用商业调查和深入访谈收集的数据，研究小企业的脆弱性和复原力。它还探讨了旨在提高其未来复原力的不同风险缓解和业务准备方法。这项研究超越了物质和财政资源的传统透镜，强调了社区网络在帮助小企业迅速应对灾害方面的力量，以及这些网络如何影响经济和社会之间的联系，以及个人和社区复原力之间的联系。它考察了在社会和公共卫生危机的影响下的广泛的企业，特别强调了社会不平等、失业和低收入作为脆弱性和缺乏复原力的关键来源的作用。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。