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From National Champions to Small and Medium Sized Enterprises: Changing Policy Emphasis in France, Germany and Sweden
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From National Champions to Small andMedium Sized Enterprises: Changing Policy
Emphasis in France, Germany and Sweden*
RAC HEL PARKER Management, Queensland University of Technology
ABSTRACT
This paper examines recent European policy changes designed tosupport small and medium size enterprises (SMEs). These changeshave resulted in both the development of specific support programs forSMEs and more general deregulatory measures to improve theeconomic environment for business. The rationale often provided isthat SMEs contribute to a dynamic and innovative environment andgenerate high quality employment. An analysis of OECD material anda review of the literature on SMEs reveals that their role in innovation,employment growth and the adoption of new forms of workorganisation is often over-emphasised. The vast majority of SMEs donot carry out research and development and are associated with lowquality and insecure employment. Policies in support of SMEs need tobe formulated with an awareness of the diversity of SMEs. There areonly a very limited number of SMEs which make an importantcontribution to employment and innovation. Efforts to facilitate theestablishment and growth of these high quality SMEs need to be basedon targeted programs rather than general measures such as taxreduction or labour market deregulation. Targeted policies include R&
D support, the improvement of SMEs' intangible investments andregional access to capital and technology. General measures are morelikely to create an environment in which low quality, low wageemployment is generated in SMEs with little future.
In the post-war period, in many European countries, industry policywas directed to particular sectors of industry or it involved support forparticular firms on the point of bankruptcy because of their importanceto national employment or production. Industry policy was based on
* The research reported in this paper was supported by a 1998 grant from the Australian
Research Council.
64 Rachel Parker
strategic interventions, designed to manage structural change in thebroader national interest. In more recent times, the very concept ofindustry policy has become controversial because of its association withsectoral intervention and state-led economic adjustm本论文由英语论文网提供整理，提供论文代写，英语论文代写，代写论文，代写英语论文，代写留学生论文，代写英文论文，留学生论文代写相关核心关键词搜索。