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'Conservative Protestant Politics' by Steve Bruce is reviewed.

Examines the history of the Southwestern Social Science Assoc (SSSA) 1920-1995 & that of its journal, the Social Science Quarterly (SSQ). SSSA evolved in order for members to avoid traveling to the East Coast for meetings, & the SSQ published articles of interest to the Southwest US. Problems in the development of the SSSA & SSQ included financial constraints & abuses of power. Both have survived due to improved financial conditions, with the SSQ ranking with the best social science journals in the US. 4 Tables, 21 References. C. Whitcraft

It is well established in previous research that female and minority entrepreneurs are less successful with business ventures in comparison to whites and males. In that same literature, motivation and growth expectations have been shown to be positively associated with business success. This paper examines how motivations and business goals differ by gender and race and how they affect disparity in business outcomes. Using data from the Second Panel Study of Entrepreneurial Dynamics (PSED II), we find that stronger motivations for financial gain have a negative effect on business survival rate for black women and Hispanic men. In contrast, the effect is positive for black men and Hispanic women. When considering interactions between financial motivations, race and gender, various significant effects were found and are detailed in the paper. It is important for researchers and practitioners who want to promote entrepreneurship to understand the differences and adapt advisory and training curricula accordingly.

Abstract Nonmetropolitan (nonmetro) inequality patterns are contrasted with those of metropolitan (metro) areas to assess the utility of neoclassical and restructuring theoretical frameworks. Inequality measures are constructed from March Current Population Surveys for the years 1968–1991. Results indicate that inequality is greater in nonmetro areas than in metro areas. Results of decomposition procedures suggest that the observed inequality is due to a mix of neoclassical and restructuring factors that account for more inequality in metro than nonmetro areas. National policies must take account of metro/nonmetro differences in patterns and sources of inequality.

AbstractAccess to financial capital is vital for the sustainability of the local business sector in nonmetropolitan communities. In this article we develop two hypotheses and examine the impact of financial sector restructuring on the odds of using a bank loan to finance a new business or expand an existing business. Focusing on nonmetropolitan American businesses, we connect restricted tabulations of the 2007 Survey of Business Owners to data on the commuting zones (CZ) in which businesses are located. We use multilevel logistic regression models to predict the effects of community bank presence within the CZ on the odds of using a bank business loan to start or expand a business for nonmetropolitan businesses started or purchased since 2000. Net of important characteristics of the businesses and owners, we find that the greater the proportion of local banks in a nonmetropolitan CZ, the greater the odds that a conventional business loan was used to either help start a new business or expand an existing business.

We test whether the self-employed have higher levels of civic inclination (trust, political activism, community closeness, community participation) compared to workers from the private sector. We examine the civic inclinations of the self-employed with two national cross-sectional data sets. We use a variety of discrete and continuous regression models. We find that the self-employed have higher levels of political activism, feel closer to neighbors and family, and have greater odds of engaging to solve community problems. We fail to detect differences in donating money, attending community events, and closeness to friends. Previous research has concluded with county-level data that the self-employed are important actors in building community and creating social capital. Our results add to this literature by showing that the self-employed have higher levels of civic inclination with individual-level data. Implications for theory and research are discussed.

In the fall of 1995, the authors were approached by the US Department of Justice and asked to conduct a social demographic research and analysis on the fourth congressional district of Louisiana. The fourth district had been a majority African American district since redistricting was done by the state legislature in 1992. They were asked to develop a research report and to testify for the United States in ongoing litigation. Their involvement was motivated by a number of social justice concerns that were articulated by Judge Higinbotham(1995: 668). Focuses primarily on the analytical approach to key issues and on the statistical results provided in the testimony. Recounts also interaction with the Justice legal team and some experiences in depositions and in federal court. Begins with a chronology of events leading up to the work and those that transpired after completion of research and testimony. (Original abstract - amended)