Mexico : Impact Evaluation of SME Programs Using Panel Firm Data

Lopez-Acevedo, Gladys ; Tinajero, Monica

World Bank, Washington, DC

关键词: ACTION PLAN;    ACTION PLANS;    ATTRITION;    AUDITS;    BENEFICIARIES;   

DOI  :  10.1596/1813-9450-5186
RP-ID  :  WPS5186

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: World Bank Open Knowledge Repository

【 摘 要 】

Unlike social programs targetingindividuals, few enterprise support programs have beenrigorously evaluated, and existing evaluations have mostlybeen done in high-income countries such as the United Statesand Europe. Mexico spends a large share of governmentresources on small and medium enterprise programs each year.How effective these programs have been in achieving theirobjectives is unclear.In Mexico, impact evaluations ofsmall and medium enterprise programs are rare, and most arequalitative in nature. This is the first paper evaluatingthese programs in Mexico using firm-level panel data. Thecontinuous and ten-year panel data -- from the 1994-2005period -- allow the authors to address selectivity bias andunobserved firm heterogeneity by applying a generalizationof differences-in-differences models combined withpropensity score matching methods. This study finds evidencethat participation in small and medium enterprise programsis associated with improvements in key variables such asvalue added, gross production, and wages. Furthermore, thestudy finds evidence that some of the positive effects cantake several years to realize. The results also call forstreamlining and greater efficiency in Mexico's smalland medium enterprise programs.