Microenterprise programs have received a great deal of attention in the United States in recent years as the number and scope of such programs have grown. Unlike most government programs aimed at existing businesses, these pro- grams are frequently directed at the chronically unemployed, poor single par- ents, and welfare recipients. In many cases, they provide access to loans and technical training for the express purpose of creating a new class of small- scale, economically self-sufficient entrepreneurs no longer dependent upon public support.