Carl Liedholm

The dynamics of micro and small enterprises in developing countries

Abstract The number of people engaged in micro and small enterprises increases as a result of new enterprises being started and through an expansion of existing activities. As a partial offset to these increases, employment declines when existing businesses cease operations. This article draws on recent survey work to examine the magnitude and determinants of enterprise births, closures and expansions. It explores the ways in which these different sources of change are influenced by the state of the macroeconomy, and examines policy and project implications.

Can Web Courses Replace the Classroom in Principles of Microeconomics

The proliferation of economics courses offered partly or completely online (Arnold Katz and William E. Becker, 1999) raises important questions about the effects of the new technologies on student learning. Do students enrolled in online courses learn more or less than students taught face-to-face? Can we identify any student characteristics, such as gender, race, ACT scores, or grade averages, that are associated with better outcomes in one technology or another? How would the online (or face-to-face) students fare if they had taken the course using the alternative technology? This paper addresses these questions using student data from our Principles of Microeconomics courses at Michigan State University.

Small enterprises and economic development : the dynamics of micro and small enterprises

Chapter 1: Introduction, I. MSE Characterisation: A Snapshot, II. The Contribution of MSEs to Development, III. Heterogeneity and Diversity Among MSEs, Chapter 2: MSE Dynamics: Theory and Literature Review, I. Dynamic Theories of the Firm, II. Empirical Evidence, III. Major Issues and Hypotheses, IV. Analytical Approaches and Survey Methods, V. Summary, Chapter 3: New Starts, Closures, and Expansion of MSEs, I. Overview, II. New Starts, III. Closures, IV. Net Expansion, V. Summary, Chapter Four: MSE Growth by Location, Sector, Linkages and Gender, I. Growth by Location, II. Grwoth by Sector, III. Growth by Alternative Patterns of Market Linkages, IV. Growth by Gender, V. Summary, Chapter Five: MSEs and the Macroeconomy, Chaper Six: Problems faced by MSEs, Chapter 7: The Diverse Characteristics and Needs of MSEs, I. New Starts, II. Non-growing MSEs, III. Small Growth, IV. Graduates, V. Summary, Chapter Eight: Summary and Implications, I. Summary, II. Implications, Bibliography.

Small Firm Dynamics: Evidence from Africa and Latin America

This paper investigates the determinants of survival and growth among small and very small enterprises in Africa and Latin America. Location is found to be an important factor. Firms located in urban and commercial areas are more likely to survive during a given year than those located in rural areas or those being operated out of home. Urban and commercial location is also associated with faster growth, as measured by the number of employees hired in a given year. Studies are also cited to show that human capital matters, especially when it is in the form of vocational training or prior business experience.

Small Enterprise Employment Growth in Rural Africa

become increasingly recognized. Earlier empirical studies have indicated that they provide 20% to 45% of full-time employment and 30% to 50% of rural household income (Chuta and Liedholm; Haggblade, Hazell, and Brown). This is also reflected in the agricultural growth linkage literature (e.g., Haggblade and Hazell), where rural enterprise growth is typically a demand-driven spinoff of agricultural growth, as well as in the rural household studies that have

The Role of Nonfarm Activities in the Rural Economy

Until quite recently it has been conventional to equate, in a rough way, the rural economy with the agricultural economy. Rural households, containing anywhere from 30 to 70 per cent of the nation’s population, were envisaged as having as their primary function the production of food and fibre for the home market and one or more crops for the export market. In addition to farm production, household members might as secondary activities be engaged in a certain amount of agricultural processing, transporting and marketing.

Determinants of small and micro enterprise registration: Results from surveys in Niger and Swaziland

Abstract The relationship between governmental regulations and small and micro enterprises is the subject of increasing interest in developing countries. This paper examines the determinants of small and micro enterprise registration in Niger and Swaziland using a logit framework. Our surveys show that although virtually all firms in these countries are required to register, many do not. Several firm-specific factors are significant in explaining the probability of registering, including sector, location and size. Although Niger and Swaziland were reputed to possess differing regulatory environments, there is no evidence that the likelihood of registration depends on the country in which the firm is located.

Student preferences in using online learning resources

This article explores a theory of student choice in richer learning environments and presents data on how students in an online microeconomics course actually make choices about a variety of learning tools. The results allow the authors to offer some prescriptions for ways that online learning environments can be improved.

Small-scale Industry in Africa: Dynamic Issues and the Role of Policy

This chapter examines the dynamics of small-scale manufacturing enterprises in Africa.1 The creation, evolution, and disappearance of firms and how these patterns vary by country, stage of development, industrial sector, and policy environment are topics that fall within the purview of firm dynamics.