The 2008-09 global financial crisis had a profound impact on the availability of bank credit for SMEs. Although a decline in the demand for bank credit played an important role, banks have also become more reluctant to lend, including as a consequence of new capital requirements. Moreover, a...

SMEs are key to strengthening productivity, delivering more inclusive growth and adapting to the major transformations of our time. SMEs that grow have a considerable positive impact on employment creation, innovation, productivity growth and competitiveness. While the population of SMEs is very...

The document sets out how intangible assets can be relevant for SMEs to obtain external funding; the challenges and opportunities in this area; and the rationale for policy intervention. It provides some policy trends from a selected group of countries and concludes with some issues to be...

This paper studies job raiding and its effect on incentives to invest in human capital. A firm can offer more attractive wages to new hires than to its current employees, thereby raiding a rival’s workers. Our model shows that firms prefer to raid in equilibrium when given the opportunity to...

Strengthening the performance and economic contribution of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) and start-ups is central to Abu Dhabi’s goal of creating a more diversified and competitive economy. This report provides an assessment of policies, programmes and regulations relating...

Open Strategic Autonomy (OSA) is a political concept that refers to the European Union's ability to act independently in strategically important areas while seeking multilateral cooperation when possible. Initially mentioned in European Council conclusions in December 2013, OSA gained prominence...

This report tracks the trajectory of SME finance from the aftermath of the global financial crisis to the more recent economic turmoil triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. Highlighting key policy and regulatory responses, it examines initial counter-cyclical measures such as credit guarantees and...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to highlight the diverse world of social enterprise. Design/methodology/approach – This paper profiles 11 different social enterprises from around the world. These range from a profit‐achieving business in a very competitive industry, but one with...