Limited access to finance, low levels of human capital, and inefficient markets often constrain businesses in developing countries from growing and creating jobs.


Despite countless programs aimed at addressing these barriers to growth, little evidence exists on how to unlock the potential of the SME sector. The Small & Medium Enterprise Program at IPA works to discover and promote effective solutions for SME growth and entrepreneurship.  MORE »

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Supporting Women-led Businesses in Low and Middle-Income Countries Through the COVID-19 Crisis and Beyond

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) around the world have been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Women-led businesses have suffered disproportionately from the slowing pace of business...

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SME Program: Five Years in Review (English and Spanish)

Over the past five years, the SME Program at IPA has grown from an ambitious idea to a thriving, prolific, and influential initiative. It is with great enthusiasm that we share this report...

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Small & Medium Enterprise Program Brief

The Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) Program at IPA discovers and promotes effective solutions to the constraints faced by entrepreneurs and SMEs in developing countries. SMEs are the largest...

Access to Finance

Evaluating programs that reduce the risks and costs of lending to SMEs

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Human Capital & Skills

Assessing interventions that improve managerial capacity at the firm level

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Access to Markets

Producing rigorous evidence to facilitate market access for entrepreneurs

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