Small Business Services in Asian Countries

By Jacob Levitsky

Donors have poured large sums into funding the delivery of business development services (BDS) to small, medium and micro enterprises in developing countries. Emerging, however, is a feeling that these services have not attained the impacts needed to justify the substantial investments made. While donors and practitioners may have different ideas about how best to develop BDS markets, they generally agree that a more demand-driven and private sector-oriented approach is needed in order to reach larger numbers with relevant services. In the search for a new approach to BDS provision, the chapters in Part I of the book present the findings of new studies and thinking into BDS markets, revealing a greater complexity and diversity than has previously been envisaged. Part II explores the implications of these findings for donor interventions, including the design of BDS products, using information and communication technologies to deliver services, promoting BDS markets for clustered enterprises, and intervening in new markets. It is vital that donors are able to demonstrate that BDS interventions are a worthwhile investment and the book goes on to explore the issue of performance measurement. Using a common framework for performance measurement, Part III presents case studies from across Asia to identify lessons learned on good practice in BDS. Discussions on BDS principles and intervention strategies continue to evolve. This important volume, based on papers first presented at a conference in Hanoi organized by the Committee of Donor Agencies for Small Enterprise Development, summarizes experiences and conclusions on the subject to date.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1853394963
• ISBN13: 9781853394966
• Release Date: December 2001
• Publisher: ITDG Publishing
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.2" x 9.2"