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SME takeovers as a contributor to regional productivity gaps

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  • James Foreman-Peck
  • Tom Nicholls

Abstract

New economic geography models typically predict centripetal economic development. One process by which this might be brought about is if large companies based in the core of the economy buy up and remove small dynamic enterprises from peripheral regions, thereby suppressing development outside the core. This hypothesis is investigated by analysing the very large UK administrative firm-level Business Structure Database. Contrary to the experience of big firms, more productive small businesses are more subject to takeover—although this effect is weaker if they are located in peripheral regions. Takeovers also increase the chances of a small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) closing, but the exit consequence is greater for the core region. Takeovers raise productivity after acquisition in all regions but by less for the most productive SMEs. Ignoring any productivity gains to acquiring firms, the positive impact in the core region during the years considered is slightly larger than in the periphery, principally because takeovers are more common in the core. As this impact is a contributor to regional divergence, policy should aim to improve the operation of the market for SMEs in the periphery. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media, LLC. 2013

Suggested Citation

  • James Foreman-Peck & Tom Nicholls, 2013. "SME takeovers as a contributor to regional productivity gaps," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 41(2), pages 359-378, August.
  • Handle: RePEc:kap:sbusec:v:41:y:2013:i:2:p:359-378
    DOI: 10.1007/s11187-012-9444-x
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    Cited by:

    1. Beldina Owalla & Cristian Gherhes & Tim Vorley & Chay Brooks, 2022. "Mapping SME productivity research: a systematic review of empirical evidence and future research agenda," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 58(3), pages 1285-1307, March.
    2. James Foreman-Peck & Tom Nicholls, 2015. "Inter-regional mobility of entrepreneurial SMEs," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 54(1), pages 57-87, January.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    SMEs; Takeovers; Regional development; Exits; L23; L26; D21; R11;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • L23 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Organization of Production
    • L26 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Entrepreneurship
    • D21 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Firm Behavior: Theory
    • R11 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Regional Economic Activity: Growth, Development, Environmental Issues, and Changes

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