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Size matters? Impact evaluation of business development grants on SME performance

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  • Stjepan Srhoj
  • Michael Lapinski
  • Janette Walde

Abstract

Many international organisations emphasize the need of public grant schemes evaluations. An evaluation provides the opportunity to assess the socio-economic impact achieved by the grant and allows for a refinement of such policy instruments in order to make public funding more effective in achieving the objectives. In this paper, we investigate the effects of a business development grant scheme. More specifically we question whether firms' performance measures increased after participating in this grant scheme. Methodically, we match grant receiving firms with grant non-receivers and estimate the average treatment effect on the treated using a two way fixed effects regression. Our results point towards a positive effect of the grant scheme, which is particularly evident for firms of smaller size. Our estimated dose-response functions show that the share of grant amount in firm profits needs to be high enough for the grants to be effective. According to back-of-the envelope analysis, benefits outweigh the direct scheme costs.

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  • Stjepan Srhoj & Michael Lapinski & Janette Walde, 2019. "Size matters? Impact evaluation of business development grants on SME performance," Working Papers 2019-14, Faculty of Economics and Statistics, Universität Innsbruck.
    • Handle: RePEc:inn:wpaper:2019-14
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    Cited by:

    1. Ondřej Dvouletý & Stjepan Srhoj & Smaranda Pantea, 2021. "Public SME grants and firm performance in European Union: A systematic review of empirical evidence," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 57(1), pages 243-263, June.
    2. Muraközy, Balázs & Telegdy, Álmos, 2023. "The effects of EU-funded enterprise grants on firms and workers," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 51(1), pages 216-234.
    3. Amina Ika Micah, 2022. "Three essays on access to credit and financial shock in Nigeria," Economics PhD Theses 0422, Department of Economics, University of Sussex Business School.
    4. Srhoj, Stjepan & Walde, Janette, 2020. "Getting ready for EU Single Market: The effect of export-oriented grant schemes on firm performance," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 279-293.
    5. Marjan Petreski, 2022. "State Aid Causing Distinct Incentives? Quasi-Experimental Measurement of the Effects of Grants on Private Enterprises in North Macedonia," Evaluation Review, , vol. 46(2), pages 200-230, April.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    business development grants; policy evaluation; two-way fixed effects regression; matching; heterogeneous treatment effects; dose-response-function;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C21 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Single Equation Models; Single Variables - - - Cross-Sectional Models; Spatial Models; Treatment Effect Models
    • G01 - Financial Economics - - General - - - Financial Crises
    • H23 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Externalities; Redistributive Effects; Environmental Taxes and Subsidies
    • H50 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - General
    • O38 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Government Policy

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