Robert A. Blackburn – författare

While small scale enterprise has expanded rapidly in recent years the way ahead looks uncertain. Drawing together recent research and thinking on small business activities from several disciplines, this book gives a comprehensive picture of the current situation and assesses the future. It evaluates the impact of such diverse influences as technological innovation, demogrpahic change, changes in orgh environment, women and entreprenuership, and by analysing trends in employment levels, banking policies and government schemes it explores ways to survive in an increasingly hostile environment.

While small scale enterprise has expanded rapidly in recent years the way ahead looks uncertain. Drawing together recent research and thinking on small business activities from several disciplines, this book gives a comprehensive picture of the current situation and assesses the future. It evaluates the impact of such diverse influences as technological innovation, demogrpahic change, changes in orgh environment, women and entreprenuership, and by analysing trends in employment levels, banking policies and government schemes it explores ways to survive in an increasingly hostile environment.

Recent decades have seen substantial growth in the range of assistance programmes for SMEs and entrepreneurs across the world. Once regarded as peripheral to the economy and public policy, the role of small firms and of entrepreneurship is now recognized as of key importance in the economic growth and development strategies of many nations. The range of interventions and support focused on promoting SMEs and entrepreneurship is substantial and expanding, so Government, SMEs and Entrepreneurship Development asks ’what are some of the main policy instruments being used, and how effective are they?’ It considers policies in different countries, examines key interventions and tools used to promote entrepreneurship and SME development and concludes with contributions on how to best evaluate their effectiveness. The contributor chapters by academics and practitioners from businesses, enterprise development agencies and governments, are empirical or evidence-based and use both quantitative and qualitative approaches. Drawing on experience from a wide range of both developed and emerging countries and economies, the contributions focus on the broad strategies that different governments and communities have adopted to foster entrepreneurship and SMEs; the policy tools and instruments that can be used to promote small business and entrepreneurship; and on the outcomes of policy instruments and the methods used to evaluate interventions. Their findings will help researchers, policy-makers, economic development officers, civil servants, elected officials, and business associations to better understand the issues in this important field.