ld escape old-boy networks by simply starting their own networks and firms this was not the case. Much of the construction work in New York City is preformed by receiving contracts from the city. In a study conducted in 1980 non minority entrepreneurs almost unanimously admitted to having a close family member or friend who was involved with the partitioning of city contracts.24 Measures were enacted by Mayor Dinkins to combat this form of discrimination by requiring an . . .established preferential procurement program for minority vendors in 1992. However, [Mayor] Gulianni eliminated bid preferences allowed to MBEs [minority business enterprises] in the awarding of city contracts. Challenging the discriminatory environment in New York City construction is not high on the political agenda.25 Here is a common observance in the examination of African-American entrepreneurship and that is the admixture of a political and social agenda with entrepreneurial success.Many scholars and economists feel the need to compare the success of African-American entrepreneurs and Asian-American entrepreneurs. The common question that comes to mind is, If this latter day Horatio Alger, `famous neo-conservative icon flourishes selling groceries in Americas poorest urban areas, then why dont local residents (including African-Americans) take advantage of these business opportunities?26 Commonly accepted answers to this question include, lack of motivation among African-Americans, lack of initiative, or an aversion to hard work. In fact, none of these are the case. The factors that need to be examined are, access to higher education, white-collar work experience (management), and access to capital. Typically the most successful firms are those that involve a positive combination of the aforementioned characteristics. (Table 4.1) Although these things seem to be able to be harnessed by the individual , it seems that African-American entrepreneurs ...
