In May ECLAC published a summary[1] of the book “MSMEs in Latin America: fragile performance and new challenges for business promotion policies”. This book, edited as part of the “Best policies for micro, small and medium-sized companies in Latin America” program, analyzes the performance of MSMEs in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, El Salvador, Mexico, Uruguay and Central America.

The summary highlights how MSMEs are structurally heterogenous in Latin America and emphasizes their importance to the region’s economies, given that they make up 99% of all companies, contribute 61% of formal employment and account for 25% of production. This makes them a fundamental agent in the battle against poverty.

This summary also compares the support measures rolled out in each of the countries being analyzed and demonstrates the weaknesses that persist in the institutional promotion system, in the strategic vision and in the types of management adopted by these systems.

Finally, it contains the conclusions reached and proposals drawn up as part of the EUROMSME program based on comparative studies of the reality of the region, in order to develop a regional support agenda for MSMEs.

Consult the report clicking here