This annex contains specific examples of cleaner production (CP) strategies for smaller enterprises including regional overviews of Latin America, Asia and Europe.

This paper examines local efforts to facilitate interactive learning and knowledge sharing among small and medium-sized apparel manufacturers in Guadalajara, Mexico. It focuses on a government-sponsored training program that gets design-oriented and technologically-advanced producers (most of...

The informal economy plays an important, yet often overlooked, role in economies throughout the world. Informal activities can provide a much needed source of income for a great number of people. At the same time, informality motivated by regulatory distortions, tax evasion, or in the pursuit of...

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 report outlines the findings of the Economist Intelligence Unit¿s in-depth analysis of the microfinance business environment in 55 countries. The index that underlies this report allows countries and regions to be compared across three broad categories: regulatory framework, investment...

SMEs are positioning themselves as a strategic branch of banking operations in the region, while banks are increasingly pushing for more active policies when it comes to the financing of SMEs. This is one of the highlighted conclusions from a 2011 joint survey conducted by the Inter-American...

This presentation features the role of Credit Unions in the Caribbean. It explores how they foster business initiatives based on a co-operative model in order to develop small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

Este documento apresenta uma contribuição para o desenvolvimento de análises de programas de desenvolvimento produtivo (PDP). A proposta metodológica do Mapeamento e Índice de Desempenho Institucional (MIDI) constitui um esforço para quantificar e mensurar os aspectos institucionais que...

Quality management systems offer companies a practical approach to organizing their productive processes to ensure ongoing adherence to these standards, as well as fostering a culture of continuous improvement.