Progress 05/15/19 to 05/14/25
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience for this project includes county and city officials, community leaders, scholars in rural economic development, minority women, entrepreneurs, small business owners, representatives from agencies, tribes, nonprofit organizations, and other key stakeholders. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The project created multiple opportunities for training and professional development, particularly for junior researchers and graduate students. Team members enhanced their research design and analytical skills through hands-on involvement in research activities, including the application of innovative techniques such as survival analysis. Graduate students gained practical experience in data extraction, cleaning, and statistical analysis using large-scale datasets. Collaboration between researchers and Extension professionals fostered interdisciplinary teamwork, facilitating the exchange of knowledge between academic research and field-based applications. This environment allowed early-career researchers to develop leadership and communication skills within team settings. The project also emphasized research communication and professional growth. Junior researchers presented findings at regional science conferences, gaining valuable experience in public speaking, academic dissemination, and networking. These events also enabled them to build professional relationships and strengthen their career trajectories in research and applied fields. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The project has actively disseminated its findings to relevant communities through multiple channels. Research results have been shared at regional science conferences, submitted to peer-reviewed journals, and communicated through policy briefs that emphasize the practical implications of the findings for entrepreneurs and their families. Special attention has been given to highlighting policy recommendations aimed at improving the wellbeing and economic sustainability of underserved entrepreneurs. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
This project advanced understanding and support for minority women entrepreneurs in Idaho through a series of research studies that addressed institutional, social, cultural, and economic challenges affecting self-employment and small business sustainability (Objective 1). Using large-scale national datasets such as the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), National Establishment Time-Series (NETS), and the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID), the team examined how financial, human, and social capital--especially health and family-related factors--influence labor market choices, entrepreneurial earnings, and business survival. Key findings from the NHIS-based studies revealed that family health significantly impacts women's labor force participation and earnings, particularly for mothers and single parents. Poor child health emerged as a critical barrier to full-time employment and entrepreneurial success. These findings emphasize the importance of integrating family-sensitive health benefits into workforce support systems, particularly for working mothers and rural single parents (Objectives 1 and 3). Additional research using PSID data identified "the entrepreneurial poor" as a distinct socio-economic group, shaped by intersecting dimensions of poverty, gender, and employment instability. While some use entrepreneurship as a strategy to avoid unemployment, short-term self-employment often leads to adverse long-term labor market outcomes. These results highlight structural barriers to sustainable entrepreneurship and support the need for educational and policy reforms aimed at improving access to safety nets and reducing obstacles to stable employment for marginalized populations (Objectives 1 and 3). The study on the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on minority-owned business survival used firm-level data and advanced modeling techniques to show that financial risk, particularly limited access to credit (e.g., low PAYDEX scores), contributed significantly to higher business closure rates. Minority-owned and non-metropolitan businesses faced greater vulnerability, underlining the need for more equitable lending practices and greater digital access for rural firms (Objectives 1 and 2). Collectively, the research accomplishments contribute to the long-term goal of cultivating entrepreneurism among minority women in rural Idaho by identifying actionable areas for intervention, including enhanced child benefits, access to healthcare, inclusive financing strategies, and policy reforms that support the economic resilience of underserved entrepreneurs.
Publications
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Progress 05/15/23 to 05/14/24
Outputs
Target Audience: The target audience of this project is county and city officials, community leaders, scholars in rural economic development, minority women, entrepreneurs, small business owners, representatives from agencies, tribes, nonprofit organizations, and other key stakeholders. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? This project has provided law students with valuable opportunities for training and professional development in several key areas: By engaging in research and content development, students have honed their skills in conducting thorough legal research, analyzing complex issues, and synthesizing information into clear and concise materials. Working on topics of importance to rural minority women entrepreneurs has allowed students to understand the unique challenges and legal considerations faced by this specific demographic, enhancing their cultural competence and ability to provide targeted legal assistance. The collaboration with Extension for publication has provided students with practical experience in preparing materials for publication, fostering their ability to communicate legal concepts effectively to a broader audience. In addition, the Post-doc attended and presented at theWestern Regional Science Association annual conference and the Southern Regional Science Association annual conference. Also, we launch an online course on e-commerce to support online businesses. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Findings from the research have been disseminated through Extension bulletins and conference presentations. We published four peer-reviewed extension bulletins and presented two journal articles at the Western Regional Science Annual Meeting and Southern Regional Science Annual Metting. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We are going to submit three journal articles and improve the online course on e-commerce sung feedback from students.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Mr. Rumel, and Dr. Lewin worked on objectives 4 and 6. University of Idaho College of Law students, under the supervision of Mr. Rumel and Dr. Lewin, researched and developed content for various outreach materials concerning topics of importance to rural minority women entrepreneurs. Three of thesematerials were published by UI Extension. The others are under review.
Publications
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2024
Citation:
Braak, W. and Lewin, P. 2023. Online Business Strategies: Choosing a Domain Name for Your Businesss Website. Bulletin 1066. University of Idaho Extension and Digital Economy Program.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Everett, R.; Rumel, J.; Smyer, A.; Lewin, P.; and Hart, D. Liability in E-Commerce. Bulletin 1064. University of Idaho Extension and Digital Economy Program.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Horta Lopez, M.*; Dearien, C.; Rumel, J.; and Lewin, P. 2023. Consejos para Emprendedores Sociedad de Responsabilidad Limitada. Bulletin 1011s. University of Idaho Extension and Rural Studies Program.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2024
Citation:
Fisher, M.; Lewin, P.; and Wornell, E. 2023: Self-employment among the poor: Does it pay-off. Western Regional Science Association 62nd Annual Meeting. Waikoloa Village, The Big Island of Hawaii, February 15-18.
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Progress 05/15/22 to 05/14/23
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience of this project is county and city officials, community leaders, scholars in rural economic development, minority women, entrepreneurs, small business owners, representatives from agencies, tribes, nonprofit organizations, and other key stakeholders. Changes/Problems:We could not advance our activities as expected because two PIs working on the qualitative research activities left the university in 2022. Also, we faced difficulties refilling a post-doc position involved in the research activities. As a result, we could not regain all the time we lost during the COVID-19 epidemic, which significantly delayed our planned focus groups, interviews, and extension workshops. Currently, we are facing problems with University of Idaho's OSP to purchase the National Establishment Time Series (NETS), which has a 2-years subscription. Since the subscription falls outside of the current lifespan of the project, University of Idaho's OSP considers this purchase as not allowable. This dataset is a panel of entrepreneurs, which will allow us to fulfill objective 1 of our project: "Understand the institutional, social, cultural, and economic factors that affect the decision to enter self-employment and the financial performance and economic sustainability of minority women-owned small businesses." Specifically, this dataset will permit us to research the financial performance and economic sustainability of minority women-owned small businesses over time. The number of minority women entrepreneurs has increased significantly, surpassing the growth of non-minority entrepreneurs. Sadly, these entrepreneurs also experience higher rates of business failure. To create policies and programs that support entrepreneurs, it is crucial to comprehend the factors that influence their financial performance. This dataset will enhance our current understanding. We did not write this dataset in the proposal because we were unaware of its existence. We learned recently about it thanks to a colleague from Oregon State University who uses it. To resolve the impasse with OSP, we started the process of requesting a no-cost extension for one year What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?This project has provided law students with valuable opportunities for training and professional development in several key areas. Firstly, by engaging in research and content development, students have honed their skills in conducting thorough legal research, analyzing complex issues, and synthesizing information into clear and concise materials. Additionally, working on topics of importance to rural minority women entrepreneurs has allowed students to develop a deeper understanding of the unique challenges and legal considerations faced by this specific demographic, enhancing their cultural competence and ability to provide targeted legal assistance. Moreover, the collaboration with Extension for publication has provided students with practical experience in preparing materials for publication, fostering their ability to communicate legal concepts effectively to a broader audience. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Findings from the research have been disseminated through journal articles, conference presentations, and interviews. We published 1journal article in a Q1 journal. We presented at the Western Regional Science Annual Meeting.Also, we offered some interviews to journalists in Idaho.We also disseminated the results of our research through presentations to the IWBC, Nez Perce Tribe, and Coeur d'Alene Tribe, tailored to the interests of each audience. In addition, we published 2 Extension bulletins. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Entrepreneur research.We will finish three articles on minority entrepreneurship. Extension: We will publish an online course to support online businesses. Also, we will work withlaw students who will research and contribute content for extension bulletins
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Drs. Lewin, Fisher, Saul, and Newman worked toward accomplishing objectives 1, 2, and 3. They published one journal article and have two others under review. Also,the results from their researchwere incorporated into law and business student-created resources for entrepreneurs and presented and used to inform the development of outreach programs implemented by the Idaho Women's Business Center tailored to what we identified as interests and needs among rural Native American women in North Idaho. In addition, the research team further contributed to objectives 1-5 by conducting and analyzing two in-depth semi-structured interviews with key informants with first-hand knowledge of how the outreach programs were implemented, lessons learned, and plans for next-step programming and support. We integrated this final set of interview results into an article with our previous survey, focus group, and interview results titled "Learning by doing: Lessons from an initiative to increase supports for rural Native American women business owners." We will submit this article to theJournal of Community Practicein June 2023 once the Coeur d'Alene and Nez Perce tribal human subject protections committees have completed their review of the manuscript. Mr. Rumel, and Dr. Lewin worked on objectives 4 and 6. University of Idaho College of Law students, under the supervision of Mr. Rumel and Dr. Lewin, researched and developed content for various outreach materials concerning topics of importance to rural minority women entrepreneurs. These materials will be submitted to UI Extension for publication.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Mindes, S. and Lewin, P. (2023): Intersectional dimensions of entrepreneurship among immigrant Hispanic women, Journal of Small Business Management.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Reed, R.; Dearin, C., Rumel, J., and Lewin, P. 2021. Tips for Native American Entrepreneurs -Business Formation. University of Idaho Extension
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Herrera, T.; Dearin, C., Rumel, J., and Lewin, P. 2021. Tips for Native American Entrepreneurs -A Resource Guide for Business Planning. University of Idaho Extension
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Progress 05/15/21 to 05/14/22
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience of this project is county and city officials, community leaders, scholars in rural economic development, minority women, entrepreneurs, small business owners, representatives from agencies, tribes, nonprofit organizations, and other key stakeholders. We have reached representatives of tribes, the Small Business Administration, Small Business Development Center, Idaho Women's Business Center, economic development organizations, chambers of commerce (including the Idaho Hispanic Chamber of Commerce), and other organizations with insight into the needs and experiences of rural minority women entrepreneurs. Changes/Problems:The project is delayed because, due to COVID-19, we had to postpone focus groups, interviews, and extension workshops in 2020. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Findings from the research have been disseminated through journal articles, conference presentations, and radio interviews. We published 3 journal articles in Q1 journals. We presented at theAmerican Sociological Association Annual Meeting and atMidwest Sociological Society. Also, we offered several interviews on radio programs in Iowa.We also disseminated the results of our research through presentations to the IWBC, Nez Perce Tribe, and Coeur d'Alene Tribe tailored to the interests of each audience. Research papers and extension bulletins are under review for publication. Once they been accepted, they will be available on the journals' websites and UI Extension website. Also, they will be posted on the UI Rural Studies website. Extension bulletins will be distributed by the Idaho Women Business Center. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Entrepreneur research. We will finish twoarticles on minority entrepreneurship. Law School.We will work with two law students who will research and contribute content for a series of outreach materials
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Drs. Lewin, Fisher, Saul, Newman,and Mindes worked toward accomplishing Objective 1, 2, and 3. They published three journal articles andhave two others under review. Also, theycompleted 15 in-depth interviews involving key informants representing tribes, the Small Business Administration, Small Business Development Center, Idaho Women's Business Center, economic development organizations, chambers of commerce (including the Idaho Hispanic Chamber of Commerce), and other organizations with insight into the needs and experiences of rural minority women entrepreneurs. In addition, they conducttwo focus groups and a survey of Native American and rural women entrepreneurs. They completed one focus group on the Coeur d'Alene Reservation, involving 10 participants, and another on the Nez Perce Reservation, involving 14 participants.They analyzed all key informant interview transcripts using Atlas.ti qualitative data analysis software and are currently writing a manuscript for a peer-reviewed publication wherein we will publish the results. Mr. Rumel, Ms. Dearien, and Dr. Lewin worked on objectives 4 and 6. University of Idaho College of Law students, under the supervision of Mr. Rumel and Ms. Dearien, researched and developed content for various outreach materials concerning topics of importance to rural minority women entrepreneurs. Drs Lewin, Saul, and Newmanconducted a series of meetings to plan for and launch the Idaho Women's Business Center (IWBC) in North Idaho, including facilitating relationship building with our contacts at the tribes and presenting our research results at three separate meetings with the IWBC, Nez Perce Tribe, and Coeur d'Alene Tribe.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Mindes, C.H, & Lewin, P.A. (2021) Self-employment through the COVID-19 pandemic: An analysis of linked monthly CPS data. Journal of Business Venturing Insights, 16.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Mindes, S.; Lewin, P.; and Fisher, M. 2022. Intergenerational and ethnonational disparities in Hispanic immigrant self-employment. Ethnicities.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Lewin, P. 2022. Consejos para Emprendedores: Regulaciones para la Venta Alimentos Caseros en Idaho. University of Idaho Extension
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Gooden, K; Dearin, C., Rumel, J., and Lewin, P. 2021. Regulaciones para vender alimentos preparados. University of Idaho Extension
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Newman, S., D. Saul, C. Dearien, and N. Cordova. 2022. Self-employment or selfless employment? Exploration of factors that motivate, facilitate, and constrain Latina entrepreneurship from a family embeddedness perspective. Journal of Family and Economic Issues.
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Progress 05/15/20 to 05/14/21
Outputs
Target Audience: The target audience of this project iscounty and city officials, community leaders, scholars in rural economic development and entrepreneurship, minority women, entrepreneurs, small business owners, representatives from agencies, tribes, nonprofit organizations, and other key stakeholders. Changes/Problems:The COVID-19 epidemic delay focus groups, interviews, and extension workshops. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Findings from the research have been disseminated through a presentation at a professional conference in the past year. This conference was attended by rural policy researchers and was intended to help direct the future of rural research. Future conference presentations are planned for the upcoming year. Research papers and extension bulletins are under review forpublication. Once they been accepted, they will be available on the journals' websites and UI Extension website.Also, they will be posted on the UI Rural Studieswebsite. Extension bulletins will be distributed by the Idaho Women Business Center. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Drs. Lewin and Mindes will continue working on objective 1. Drs. Saul and Newman will work on objective 2. To advance objectives 3, 4, and 6, theCollege of Law students will again develop educational materials for the same audiences and populations mentioned previously - albeit on different and additional topics of interest to those constituencies. To advance objective 5, Dr. Lewin will continue supporting the activities of the Idaho Women's Business Center and their interaction with minority women.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Drs. Lewin and Mindes worked toward accomplishing Objective 1. They produced and submitted three journal articles, which are currently under review. These research papers have focused on exploring and explaining the differences in self-employment decisions by gender, ethnicity, and immigration status. We found that Hispanic women's employment choices are shaped by whether they have children or are married to a Hispanic man, suggesting that cultured gender roles and values affect self-employment propensity. Also, we observed that overlaying categories of discrimination (women, Hispanic, and immigrant) have a greater effect than each category alone, highlighting the need for policies tailored to help those who face multiple barriers to economic prosperity. Furthermore, we find that self-employment probabilities indicate distinct assimilation patterns for different Hispanic origin groups, which demonstrates the need for policies that consider different patterns of incorporation. Drs. Saul, Newman, and Lewin advanced objective 5. DrsSaul andNewmanpresentedsociological research findings in two presentations/discussions: one with the director of the North Idaho Women's Business Center (a partial product of this grant); and another with the two representatives of the Nez Perce Tribe CDFI. Mr. Rumel, Ms. Dearien, and Dr. Lewin worked on objectives 4 and 6. University of Idaho College of Law students, under the supervision of Mr. Rumel and Ms. Dearien, researched and developed content for various outreach materials concerning topics of importance to rural minority women entrepreneurs, including conflict management, developing an LLC, and trademarks. Topics specific to Native American entrepreneurs include business formation and business resources. The production of these materials will inure to the benefit of prospective rural minority women entrepreneurs and other underserved communities. Dr. Lewin and Ms. Devon
Publications
- Type:
Other
Status:
Under Review
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Herrera, T. Dearien, C., Rumel, J. and Lewin, P. Tips for Native American Entrepreneurs -A Resource Guide for Business Planning. University of Idaho Extension and Rural Studies Program
- Type:
Other
Status:
Under Review
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Reed, R. Dearien, C., Rumel, J. and Lewin, P. Tips for Native American Entrepreneurs -Business Formation. University of Idaho Extension and Rural Studies Program
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Under Review
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Mindes, S. Lewin, P.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Saul, D., S. Newman, and C. Dearien. Supporting entrepreneurship among Native American women: results of the survey and focus group held in Clarkston, Wa October 2020. Presentation to Nez Perce Tribe Economic Development, Nez Perce Tribe Nimiipu Fund CDFI, and Coeur d'Alene Tribe.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Saul, D., S. Newman, and C. Dearien. Supporting entrepreneurship among Native American women. Presentation to the Idaho Women's Business Center.
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Progress 05/15/19 to 05/14/20
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience of this project are county and city officials, community leaders, scholars in rural economic development, minority women, entrepreneurs, small business owners, representatives from agencies, tribes, nonprofit organizations, and other key stakeholders. We have reachedrepresentatives of tribes, the Small Business Administration, Small Business Development Center, Idaho Women's Business Center, economic development organizations, chambers of commerce (including the Idaho Hispanic Chamber of Commerce), and other organizations with insight into the needs and experiences of rural minority women entrepreneurs. Changes/Problems:We had planned to conduct interviews, focus groups, and business center planning meetings in person. However, due to the coronavirus pandemic, we have had to shift to phone and Zoom interactions. We had to postpone one business center planning meeting due to the coronavirus, but we are still on track to launch the center according to the project timeline. This transition to phone and Zoom-based interaction coulddelay the project. We may shift our original plan of gathering data from key informants and entrepreneurs via group interviews to in-depth, one-on-one interviews conducted by phone. We had planned to begin work with law school students in Spring 2020 to research and contribute content for a series of outreach materials titled "Tips for Entrepreneurs" (which will be available in both English and Spanish). Due to the coronavirus pandemic and related interruptions in university schedules, this work has been delayed to Fall 2020. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?We are sharing research findings at meetings with organizations (including tribes, University of Idaho, chambers of commerce, Small Business Development Center, Small Business Administration, Avista, business owners, Idaho Women's Business Center, economic development organizations, and others) we are facilitating to establish partnership and collaboration in the launch of the Idaho Women's Business Center in northern Idaho. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Key informant research. We will complete additional key informant interviews as necessary to answer research questions and to inform the development of the Women's Business Center in northern Idaho to ensure it best meets the needs of Native Americans and other stakeholders. We will complete the analysis of this data using Atlas.ti qualitative data analysis software Entrepreneur research. We interview approximately 20 Native American and rural women entrepreneurs and will analyze the data using Atlas.ti. Also, we will work on finishing some publications. Women's Business Center development. We will facilitate the launch of the Idaho Women's Business Center in northern Idaho, including setting up a physical location and hiring an employee. Law School. We will work with two law students who will research and contribute content for a series of outreach materials titled "Tips for Entrepreneurs" (which will be available in both English and Spanish). We've already identified topics for this work: 1) conflict management, 2) patents and trademarks, and 3) setting up an LLC. Once these handouts are developed, they will be peer-reviewed to become University of Idaho Extension publications. In addition, distance learning modules will be created based on their content.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Key informant research. We have completed 12 in-depth interviews involving 13 key informants representing tribes, the Small Business Administration, Small Business Development Center, Idaho Women's Business Center, economic development organizations, chambers of commerce (including the Idaho Hispanic Chamber of Commerce), and other organizations with insight into the needs and experiences of rural minority women entrepreneurs. We are in the process of analyzing key informant interview transcripts using Atlas.ti qualitative data analysis software. We anticipate completing the analysis of this data by August 2020. Entrepreneur research. We have developed an interview guide for Native American and rural women entrepreneurs based on what we learned in the previous AFRI-funded project that focused on Latina entrepreneurs and preliminary findings from the current project. We are currently identifying potential Native American and rural women entrepreneur interviewees through purposeful and snowball sampling.Also, wehave four publications in development on the social and economic research findings that will be submitted before the end of the project. Women's Business Center development. We have conducted a series of planning meetings to plan for and launch the center. We have developed a relationship with Diane Bevan, Executive Director of the Idaho Women's Business Center, and are facilitating a process with stakeholders and relevant organizations to expand the IWBC to northern Idaho.
Publications
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