What Happens to Contractors After States Ban Affirmative Action?

Benjamin V. Rosa

Working Papers from U.S. Census Bureau, Center for Economic Studies

Abstract: Using restricted Census business records, I explore how banning affirmative action in state contracting affects minority- and women-owned business enterprises (MWBEs). I find that ending affirmative action led MWBE contractors to gradually downsize, with the most pronounced reductions in force experienced by Black-owned businesses and larger MWBEs. Despite these workforce changes, existing MWBEs were no more likely to shut down than other businesses. New MWBEs were relatively less common after a state’s ban, highlighting how bans can shift the demographic composition of new contractors. A calibrated model suggests bans are equivalent to considerable reductions in MWBE productivity and scrap values.

Keywords: Affirmative action; public contracting; minority- and women-owned businesses (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: H57 J15 J16 L25 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026-07
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https://www2.census.gov/library/working-papers/2026/adrm/ces/CES-WP-26-41.pdf First version, 2026 (application/pdf)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:cen:wpaper:26-41

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