Exploring the disconnect in policy implementation: A case of enterprise policy in England

Abstract

Previous studies have acknowledged the ineffectiveness of enterprise policy. However, the reasons for its ineffectiveness remain a matter for debate. This study examines the extent to which the ineffectiveness of enterprise policy can be attributed to the way it has been implemented. Interviews with central government policy-makers, Regional Development Agency staff and business development managers in local enterprise agencies during the Labour administration (2007-2010) revealed that the implementation process of enterprise policy initiatives is complex and confusing, with fragmented relationships between the actors involved. The abundance of enterprise policy initiatives being delivered at the time, the absence of clearly defined objectives, the limited emphasis on the delivery of business support and the lack of measurement and evaluation combined to create an unnecessarily complicated process of enterprise policy implementation which, in turn, reduced its effectiveness.

Take-up and variation of advice for new firm founders in different local contexts

“…yet it has been difficult to see the benefits of enterprise policy (Arshed, Carter and Mason 2014, Beresford 2015, Arshed, Mason and Carter 2016. However, advice is a cost effective way to improve both firm outcomes and economic prosperity, especially in comparison with financial incentives for small firms (Mole et al 2008, Pergelova and Angulo-Ruiz 2014),…”

From ‘Techniums’ to ‘emptiums’: the failure of a flagship innovation policy in Wales

“…This would increase effectiveness of such policies by being demand-led and without significantly increasing transaction or opportunity costs. Such an approach would facilitate the integration and placebased economic transformation that Smart Specialisation strategies seek to create, especially in supporting the further development of a competitive SME sector (European Commission, 2013;McCann and Ortega-Argilés, 2015;2016). More crucially, it would also help in identifying areas where there are strengths and weaknesses, thus recognising the importance of listening to the business community at which the policies are directed, and being able to benchmark against previous policies and changes in opinion.…”

“…Flanagan, Uyarra and Laranja, 2011). We have sought to do this by assessing the Technium policy as situated within the wider Welsh and EU contexts in order to illustrate what policy makers actually do (Uyarra and Flanagan, 2010;Arshed, Mason and Carter, 2016).…”

Evaluation of economic security in the Ural region in the context of development of small and medium-sized enterprises

“…Undoubtedly, the more active local business life is, the stronger is the positive eff ect that SMEs have on regional economy [7]. Th erefore, we should have a good understanding of the factors and conditions that infl uence the entrepreneurial climate in the region, for example, by analysing policies aimed at supporting entrepreneurship and evaluating their effi ciency [8][9][10][11][12]. Some studies focus on specifi c forms of such support that target small businesses.…”