Publisher's Synopsis
The authors pay a significant amount of attention to government instruments and programs that aim at helping SMEs in improving their performance. At the same time, they emphasize the major constraints and differences found in each country, which result in unfavorable business climates for the sustainability and growth of SMEs. The authors discuss the current and possible future challenges faced by SMEs in the focal countries, such as the role of technology, the microeconomic and social insufficiencies which challenges SMEs' development. In order to help readers compare and contrast the EU cases with the LA cases, various features of SMEs are discussed in detail, especially with respect to the challenges they face in both the regions. As a whole, this book draws lessons from select cases in order to propose guidelines for public policies to further improve the sustainability of SMEs.
