Two powerful socioeconomic innovations are sweeping the nation, led by Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. and Starbucks Corp. These innovations both affect and are driven by profound labor market changes, but exactly how they affect self-employment or entrepreneurship has not been investigated. We examine...

This study seeks to identify the independent effect of Wal-Mart stores on changes in U.S. family-poverty rates at the county level. We draw on the contributions of a number of disciplines to enhance our understanding of the broader forces that influence poverty. Copyright (c) 2006 by the...