Presented at the July 2012 Meeting of the OECD-MENA Initiative's Working Group on SME Policy, Entrepreneurship and Human Capital Development http://www.oecd.org/mena/investment

1. THE SME POLICY INDEX
A Tool to Assess Policies for Enterprise Development
Jorge Gálvez Méndez
OECD – Private Sector Development Division
Rome, 17 July, 2012

2. About the SME Policy Index
• The Index dimensions cover areas of key relevance for
enterprise development throughout the life of a business.
• For instance, the dimensions below are included in the
Euro-Mediterranean Charter for Enterprise.
Simple procedures
for enterprises
Better market
access
Education and
training for
entrepreneurship
Improved skills
Easier access to
finance and
investment-friendly
taxation
Innovative firms
Strong business
associations
Quality business
support schemes
and services
Strengthening
EuroMediterranean
networks and
partnerships
Clear and targeted
information for
enterprises
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3. The SME Policy Index methodology
Dimensions
Subdimensions
Indicators
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4. Who is involved?

Local consultants,
country economic teams
OECD and
partner
organisations
Private sector
OECD and
international
experts,
local experts


OECD and partner organisation
teams collect data and interviews
and establish a preliminary level of
progress for each country in each
policy dimension
Local consultants collect primary
data and conduct interviews with
local experts. The results are
analysed by the Core Team and
incorporated into the level of
progress.
Private sector and national
coordinators teams conduct
separate evaluation. This
provides an opportunity to step back
and analyse the measurements in a
broader context. After consultations
are complete, all parties confirm a
final measurement.
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5. Previous assessments
 Report on the Implementation of the
European Charter for Small Enterprises
in the Western Balkans: 2007 SME Policy
Index.
 Western Balkans: Progress in the
Implementation of the European Charter
for Small Enterprises: 2009 SME Policy
Index.
 Report on the Implementation of the EuroMediterranean Charter for Enterprise, 2008.
 Follow-up assessment of the 2008 report in MED
countries (forthcoming).
 SME Policy Index Eastern Partner countries
(forthcoming).
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6. The usefulness of the SME Policy Index
• A tool to foster regional cooperation
and to support national SME policy
development;
• It can be adapted to different
contexts;
• It is a highly interactive tool.
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