Today over 80 percent of the businesses in Latin America and the Caribbean have 10 employees or less and, depending on the country, they provide between 30 and 80 percent of employment. Yet, in spite of this new empowering view of microenterprises--as a means for the poor to earn their...

The Inter-American Investment Corporation (IIC), MIF and the Latin American Federation of Banks (FELABAN) conducted an initial survey in December 2004 of 111 Latin American financial institutions, the purpose of which was to identify the propensity of Latin American and Caribbean banks to...

This paper outlines some of the issues that affect small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in three areas: regulation, procurement, and dispute resolution. The work presented herein is part of the Bank's most recent efforts to develop new approaches and instruments to strengthen its role as a...

The IDB Group, guided by its Strategy for Microenterprise Development, has made the creation of a sustainable market of services to the sector one of its most important priorities during the past decade. This report presents an overview of the contributions the IDB has made to the...

This document represents a contribution made by the Tripartite Committee comprising the Organization of American States (OAS), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) to the fourth Ministerial Meeting of the Pathways to...

The IDB Group, guided by its Strategy for Microenterprise Development, has made the creation of a sustainable market of services to the sector one of its most important priorities during the past decade. This report presents an overview of the contributions the IDB has made to the...

This report evaluates the Program for the Development of Industrial Districts in Brazil, launched in 2003 with funding from the Multilateral Investment Fund (MIF). The program played an important role in helping small and medium enterprises (SMEs) improve productive factors and governance in...

This presentation discusses the impact of the Program for the Development of the Industrial Districts in Brazil. It includes the program background, an output and outcomes comparison, the key findings of the impact evaluation, and a series of lessons and recommendations. The presentation was...

As one of its goals, the Multilateral Investment Fund (MIF) aims to improve the management and competitiveness of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in different sectors in Latin America and the Caribbean. To that end, MIF supports activities that promote the creation and strengthening of...

This presentation discusses the impact of the Program for the Support of the Software Sector in Uruguay. It includes a brief summary of the project, the program outputs and outcomes, the key findings of the impact evaluation, and lessons and recommendations. It was presented at the Impact...