Uruguay’s inability to sustain high levels of economic growth cannot be fully explained by external shocks, the prevailing institutional setting or the level of human capital accumulation. Instead, low investment in knowledge capital stands as a most likely explanation. This hypothesis is...

This presentation discusses the matching grant program started in Argentina in August of 1996. The objective of the program is to help increase the international competitiveness of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) by facilitating access to, and reducing costs of export related services. This...

This study provides a quantitative description of MSMEs in Latin America and the Caribbean. It highlights the quality of the information available in the region and, in doing so, also identifies gaps in the data. The study also presents a comparative analysis of the capacity of national MSME...

This paper sums up the experience of a Brazilian cluster of small and medium enterprises in the Sinos Valley. It shows that cooperation amongst local enterprises strengthens their ability to compete globally and that business associations can play an important role in identifying the key...

While there has been some progress on other aspects of SME policy (especially credit provision), it is generally recognized that "linkage-inducing" policy, is for the most part and in most places, a new and experimental area, with considerable potential. The purpose of this document is to...

This paper studies three horizontal policy instruments and two vertical ones in Chilean industrial policy, particularly regarding small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The horizontal instruments are (1) a guarantee program for borrowing by SMEs (FOGAPE), (2) a small subsidy to new exports that...

The purpose of this paper is fourfold. First, it seeks to highlight the general characteristics of the microenterprise sector and the microfinance industry in the Anglophone Caribbean. Second, it will examine the main factors that help explain the differences in the development of sustainable...

This presentation discusses the matching grant program started in Argentina in August of 1996. The objective of the program is to help increase the international competitiveness of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) by facilitating access to, and reducing costs of export related services. This...

While there has been some progress on other aspects of SME policy (especially credit provision), it is generally recognized that "linkage-inducing" policy, is for the most part and in most places, a new and experimental area, with considerable potential. The purpose of this document is to...

This technical paper determines the extent to which small and medium enterprises (SMEs) behave responsibly, and propose measures to enhance and promote corporate social responsibility in SMEs. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has taken on a broader view and refers to the actions that firms...