Small and Medium Enterprises, Growth, and Poverty : Cross-Country Evidence
The authors explore the relationship between the relative size of the small and medium enterprise (SME) sector, economic growth, and poverty using a new database on the share of SME labor in the total manufacturing labor force. Using a sample of 76 countries, they find a strong association between the importance of SMEs and GDP per capita growth. This relationship, however, is not robust to controlling for simultaneity bias. So, while a large SME sector is characteristic of successful economies, the data fail to support the hypothesis that SMEs exert a causal impact on growth. Furthermore, the authors find no evidence that SMEs reduce poverty. Finally, they find qualified evidence that the overall business environment facing both large and small firms-as measured by the ease of firm entry and exit, sound property rights, and contract enforcement-influences economic growth
Year of publication: |
2003
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Authors: | Beck, Thorsten ; Demirgüç-Kunt, Asli ; Levine, Ross |
Publisher: |
2003: World Bank, Washington, DC |
Saved in:
freely available
Extent: | 1 Online-Ressource |
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Series: | Policy Research Working Paper ; No. 3178 |
Type of publication: | Book / Working Paper |
Notes: | English en_US |
Source: | ECONIS - Online Catalogue of the ZBW |
Persistent link: https://www.econbiz.de/10012573838
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