Development Assistant

Alicia M. Robb

email: *****@****.***

Education:

Ph.D. in Economics; May 2000, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Dissertation: The Role of Race, Gender, and Discrimination in Business Survival

Fields: Economic Development and Econometrics

M.S. in Economics; August 1997, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Thesis: "The Financial Systems Approach to Microfinance"

B.A. in Economics; May 1992, Summa cum laude, St. Mary s University, San Antonio, TX

Experience:

Research Associate, University of California at Santa Cruz: 2004-present

Research topics including minority entrepreneurship, firm performance, discrimination in lending,

community development, and intergenerational links in self- employment. Write journal articles, book

chapters, and reports. Currently completing a book on racial differences in business ownership and

outcomes.

Senior Economist, Beacon Economics; 2007-present

Research on minority entrepreneurship, small business outcomes, lending discrimination, government

procurement, and economic development

Consultant, Robb Consulting; 2003-present

Proposal writing; small business and economic research; evaluation and analysis of data; write reports.

Past clients include: World Bank, International Volunteer Programs Association, St. Mary s College, City

of Chicago, Chicago Transit Authority, Wayne State University, Kauffman Foundation, Sage Foundation

and Foundation for Sustainable Development.

Executive Director, Foundation for Sustainable Development; 1995-2006

Directed a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that supports sustainable development initiatives in Latin

America, Africa, and Asia; developed and coordinated international programs for university students and

professionals; developed and managed budget; managed eleven staff and seven fellows in the United States

and abroad; managed international grant programs and fundraising efforts; wrote grant proposals and

reported on program activities. www.fsdinternational.org

Adjunct Professor, University of San Francisco, St. Mary s College and St. Mary s

University; 2004-2007

Teach three week graduate and undergraduate travel courses in economic development during summer

break and January term. Teach undergraduate courses in economic development, the global economy, and

contemporary issues in economics.

Economist, Federal Reserve Board; 2000-2003

Worked on all aspects of the Survey of Small Business Finances, a survey conducted by the Board every

five years, including: survey development, data evaluation, research, and presentations to the Board of

Governors and Board staff, as well as at academic conferences; researched issues related to small business

finances, women- and minority-owned businesses, entrepreneurship, and microfinance; prepared briefings,

presentations, and content for governors speeches.

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Adjunct Professor, George Washington University; 2002

Taught Survey of Economic Development (Econ250), a graduate economics class joint with the Elliot

School of International Affairs/Economic Department.

Economist, Office of Economic Research, U.S. SBA; 1998- 2000

Research issues related to small business. Prepare written reports, present at academic conferences, answer

questions from the public, Congress, and media. Research included: small business contribution to net job

growth, women and minority-owned businesses, and the role of race and gender in business survival.

Research Assistant/Instructor/Teaching Assistant, UNC-CH; 1995-2000

Assisted professors with research and administration, including web design and maintenance; Instructed

summer class in Principles of Economics; Assisted professors with semester classes in Principles of

Economics, taught recitation classes, graded homework, quizzes, and exams.

Consultant, World Bank; Nicaragua; Summer 1997

Adapted and translated microfinance sustainability manual and software for Latin American market; field-

tested manual and software with microfinance organizations in Nicaragua; provided technical assistance.

ILAS/Tinker Foundation Research Grant; Nicaragua; Summer 1997

Researched informal credit markets, NGO loan funds, and the financial sustainability of microfinance

programs in Nicaragua; surveyed many microcredit programs; interviewed loan fund managers; analyzed

loan portfolios; estimated credit risks; provided technical assistance.

ILAS/Tinker Foundation Research Grant; Honduras; Summer 1996

Researched informal credit markets and NGO loan funds in Honduras; surveyed microcredit programs;

interviewed loan fund managers; provided technical assistance.

Project Director, Farmer to Farmer/Partners of the Americas; Nicaragua; Summer 1995

Designed and implemented a Women in Development project funded by USAID; Provided technical

assistance to a women's cooperative in rural Nicaragua in order to improve the efficiency of their herb

production, marketing, and distribution methods.

Staff Economist, Christensen Associates; Madison, WI; January 1994-April 1995

Estimated price indices, inflation factors, costs, and volumes for various projects; conducted productivity

studies; calculated annual and quarterly data; performed regression analyses; managed databases.

Publications and Working Papers:

Fairlie, Robert and Alicia Robb, Race, Families and Business Success: A Comparison of African-

American, Asian-, and White-Owned Businesses (Forthcoming; M.I.T. Press).

Reynolds, Paul and Alicia Robb, The PSED II and the Kauffman Firm Survey, in Paul Reynolds and

Richard Curtin, editors, New Firm Creation in the United States: Initial Explorations with the PSED II Data

Set (Forthcoming, 2008).

Robb, Alicia and Robert Fairlie, Determinants of Business Success: An Examination of Asian-Owned

Businesses in the United States, IZA Discussion Paper No. 2566

Bates, Timothy and Alicia Robb, Analysis of Young Neighborhood Firms Serving Urban Minority

Clients, (Forthcoming, Journal of Economics and Business).

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Bates, Timothy and Alicia Robb, Crime's Impact on the Viability of Young Urban Small Businesses in

Reengineering Community Development for the 21st Century (Forthcoming).

Bates, Timothy and Alicia Robb. Revitalizing Inner-City Minority Communities by Creating and

Expanding Small Businesses, in Enterprise and Deprivation: Small Business, Social Exclusion, and

Sustainable Communities, ed. Alan Southern. London: Routledge (forthcoming).

Robb, Alicia and Robert Fairlie, Access to Financial Capital among U.S. Businesses: The Case of African

American Firms, Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Volume 613,

September 2007.

Fairlie, Robert and Alicia Robb, Why Are Black-Owned Businesses Less Successful than White-Owned

Businesses: The Role of Families, Inheritances, and Business Human Capital, Journal of Labor

Economics, Volume 25, Number 2, April 2007.

Fairlie, Robert and Alicia Robb, Families, Human Capital, and Small Businesses: Evidence from the

Characteristics of Business Owners Survey Industrial and Labor Relations Review, Volume 60, Number

2, January 2007.

Fairlie, Robert and Alicia Robb. "Families, Human Capital, and Small Business: Evidence from the

Characteristics of Business Owners Survey," in Entrepreneurship and Human Capital, ed. Mirjam van

Praag, Amsterdam: Amsterdam Center for Entrepreneurship. 2006.

Robb, Alicia and John Wolken, Firm, Owner, and Financing Characteristics: Differences between Female-

and Male-owned Small Businesses Federal Reserve Working Paper Series: 2002-18.

Robb, Alicia, "Entrepreneurship: A Path for Economic Advancement for Women and Minorities?," Journal

of Developmental Entrepreneurship, Volume 7, Number 4, December 2002.

Robb, Alicia, "Small Business Financing: Differences between Young and Old Firms," Journal of

Entrepreneurial Finance and Business Ventures, Volume 1, Issue 2, December 2002.

Bitler, Marianne, Alicia Robb, and John Wolken, 2001. Financial Services Used by Small Businesses:

Evidence from the 1998 Survey of Small Business Finances Federal Reserve Bulletin, Vol. 87, April.

Robb, Alicia, 2000. New Data for Dynamic Analysis: The Longitudinal Establishment and Enterprise

Microdata (LEEM), in Jerome Katz, ed., Advances in Entrepreneurship, Firm Emergence and Growth,

Volume 4. Greenwich CT: JAI Press.

Alicia Robb, 2000. New Data for Analysis of Small Business Job Creation, in the State of Small Business

1998, U.S. Small Business Administration, Office of Advocacy.

Headd, Brian, and Alicia Robb, 2000, Characteristics of Small Business Owners and Employees, in the

State of Small Business 1999, Office of Advocacy, U.S. Small Business Administration.

Robb, Alicia, 1999. "Minorities in Business," Office of Advocacy, U.S. SBA, Washington, D.C.

Acs, Zoltan, Catherine Armington, and Alicia Robb, 1999, Measuring Job Flow Dynamics in the U.S.

Economy, Center for Economic Studies, U.S. Bureau of the Census, CES Discussion Paper 99-1.

Robb, Alicia, 1998. "Women in Business," Office of Advocacy, U.S. SBA, Washington, D.C.

Selected Presentations/Activities:

Kauffman Symposium on Entrepreneurship and Innovation Data, Kansas City, November 2007

Missouri Kansas Entrepreneurship Research Workshop, Federal Reserve Bank of KC, October 2007

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Federal Reserve System Community Affairs Research Conference, Washington, D.C., March 2007

Kauffman Foundation and University of North Carolina, Entrepreneurship Conference, June 2006

Echoing Green Foundation, Judge for Fellowship Finalists Competition, May 2006

Kauffman Foundation and University of North Carolina, Entrepreneurship Bootcamp, June 2005

AEA Meetings, Washington, D.C., January 2003

Southern Economics Association Annual Meetings, New Orleans, Louisiana, November 2002

Academy of Management Annual Conference, Denver, Colorado, August 2002

Entrepreneurship and Finance Annual Meeting, New York, New York, April 2002

United States Association of Small Business and Entrepreneurship, Reno, Nevada, January 2002

Southern Economic Association Annual Meetings, Tampa, Florida, November 2001

Association for Public Policy and Management Annual Meetings, Washington, D.C. 2001

Academy of Management Annual Meetings, Washington, D.C. 2001

Institute for Women's Policy Research Annual Conference, Washington, D.C. June 2001

Entrepreneurship and Finance Annual Meeting, Syracuse, New York April 2001

National Economists Club Luncheon Speaker, Washington, D.C. April 2001

Briefing to the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve, Washington, D.C. April 2001

Southern Demographics Meetings, New Orleans, Louisiana September 2000

American Statistical Association Meetings, Indianapolis, Indiana, August 2000

Eastern Economics Association, Crystal City, Virginia, March 2000

National Economists Club Luncheon Speaker, Washington, D.C., October 1999

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