ProGov21 Policy Library

For small business owners of color, entrepreneurship remains a critical wealth-building tool providing a pathway to self-determination and the middle class. In Oakland and nationally, entrepreneurs of color face significant barriers in starting and scaling their business due to the...

While big businesses dominate global markets, command the entrenched financial and banking powers and are incentivized by misguided government policy, emerging startups can disrupt the status quo and prove that local economies can compete successfully if they connect with their customer...

This report assesses the economic impact of the state government contracting with small businesses (SBs) and disabled veteran business enterprises (DVBEs). It finds that these contracts created significant economic benefits including job creation, higher net gross state product (GSP),...

One barrier to economic development can be the overwhelming and expensive process of compliance with regulatory requirements for small businesses. A Pink Zone — an area where the red tape is lightened — is the locus for implementation of lean strategies and improvements, and it identifies...

The United States has an enviable entrepreneurial culture and a track record of building new companies. Yet new and small business owners often face particular challenges, including lack of access to capital, insufficient business networks for peer support, investment, and business...

Although there is no statistical relationship between state preemption and new business creation, states continued to justify preempting popular policies like minimum wage increases, fair scheduling practices, and municipal broadband access in the name of business development. This...

The City of Boston provided a concise guide and checklist for small business owners to navigate the permitting process and the Boston Business Hub. It covers various permitting and licensing requirements for different business types, including zoning, building, fire, health, and entertainment...

Financing Lean Development requires non-institutional sources of capital. This paper focuses on project equity, specifically from those sources. Lean Development is coming of age, but it has significant hurdles to realizing its potential, and financing is among the more difficult...

America’s traditional economic development policy has raised important questions about equity, especially for new entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs and small businesses bring economic stability into communities. To encourage economic development brought, it is imperative that the impact...

Mixed-use, high-density development produces greater revenues per acre than low-density patterns. This report highlights how suburban areas generate less tax revenue than urban areas but incur higher public costs and consume more land. It recommends that municipalities reinvest in...

The cost of leasing commercial space is soaring in many U.S. cities, threatening the future of independent businesses. In cities as diverse as Oakland and Nashville, Milwaukee and Portland, Maine, retail rents have shot up by double-digit percentages over the last year alone. As the...