Latina Microenterprise and the U.S.-Mexico Border Economy

Barbara J. Robles

Estey Centre Journal of International Law and Trade Policy, 2002, vol. 03, issue 2, 21

Abstract: The number of U.S. Latina-owned small businesses and microenterprises increased at a rapid clip during the 1990s. An astonishing growth rate of 232 percent between 1988 and 1997 in Latino-owned businesses was reported by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA, 1998). Self-employment rates among Latinas in the United States increased two-fold during the time period from 1990 to 2000 (Census Bureau, 2001). According to estimates there are more than two million microentrepreneurs in the United States (Grameen Foundation USA, 2002; Aspen Institute, 2000). Almost ten million people live along the U.S.-Mexico border. Mexico is the United States' second-largest trading partner, accounting for US $262 billion in two-way trade in 2000 (Department of Commerce, 2002). This study explores the incidence of microenterprise growth in the U.S.-Mexico border economy. I present a case study of a Latina-owned microenterprise engaged in business activities that include transnational trade arrangements with Mexico and other Latin American countries. From this study, a variety of policy issues emerge that affect the ease of trade arrangements and that relate to the growth of microenterprises as a potential poverty-reduction initiative along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Keywords: International; Relations/Trade (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2002
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

Downloads: (external link)
https://ageconsearch.umn.edu/record/23922/files/03020307.pdf (application/pdf)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ags:ecjilt:23922

DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.23922

Access Statistics for this article

More articles in Estey Centre Journal of International Law and Trade Policy from Estey Centre for Law and Economics in International Trade Contact information at EDIRC.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by AgEcon Search ().