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

本快速反应研究项目研究2019冠状病毒病对小企业的影响，以及小企业及其社区如何应对和应对相关挑战。小企业目前占美国公司总数的99.9%，雇佣了47.5%的美国工人。然而，小企业在经济上更容易受到伤害，保险不足，也不太可能有应急计划。特别是代表性不足的社区和外围地区的小企业在准备和应对紧急情况以及社会或自然灾害方面面临着巨大的障碍和挑战。本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，它还揭示了社区复苏的一个方面——企业继续经营和雇佣员工的能力的重要性。因此，这项研究将有助于了解如何增强当地企业的权能、增加多样化的就业机会和增强私营部门企业的适应能力，从而促进更广泛的社区复原力。本项目利用从企业调查和深度访谈中收集的数据，通过小企业应对COVID-19及其在社区内的适应实践，考察小企业的脆弱性和复原力。报告还探讨了旨在增强企业未来复原力的减轻风险和企业备灾的不同方法。这项研究超越了物质和财政资源的传统视角，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与社会之间、个人与社区复原力之间的联系。它审查了受社会和公共卫生危机影响的广泛企业，并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一个重要来源的作用。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，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。

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.