Three essays on microenterprises and self-employment

Contreras Pinto, Sergio A.

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Description

Title

Three essays on microenterprises and self-employment

Author(s)

Contreras Pinto, Sergio A.

Issue Date

2020-04-13

Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)

Hewings, Geoffrey J.D.

Doctoral Committee Chair(s)

Hewings, Geoffrey J.D.

Committee Member(s)

• Dall'erba, Sandy
• Lyons, Angela C
• Greenlee, Andrew J

Department of Study

Urban & Regional Planning

Discipline

Regional Planning

Degree Granting Institution

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Degree Name

Ph.D.

Degree Level

Dissertation

Keyword(s)

• microenterprises
• SMAS
• entrepreneurship
• policy evalualtion
• MAUP

Abstract

This dissertation contains three chapters that study contracting problems associated with corporate financing. Below are the individual abstracts for each chapter. Chapter 2: One Size Does Not Fit All: Evaluating The Impact Between Microenterprise Measurement And Policy Evaluation. Microenterprise support programs (MESPs) have gained popularity as a modern development policy starting in the 1980s, with an increasing number of countries adopting this strategy to enhance economic growth. However, few studies have examined the effectiveness of these programs. This paper will evaluate one of these programs, Centros de Emprendimiento ChileCompra in Chile. This initiative consists of centers that provide training to entrepreneurs in business plan development, financing, and taxation to enable greater participation among microenterprises in the public procurement market. Using eight years of panel data on program contracts, we assess the impact of ChileCompra’s microenterprise participation component with regards to the share of the total business and the share of revenues. Initial results indicate that the program resulted in an increased share of contracts going to microenterprises at the national level, but that results were uneven at the local level. In many cases, contrary to the policy’s goals, the share of microenterprises receiving contracts through ChileCompra declined substantially. Chapter Three: Self-employment in Times Of Crisis: The Case Of the Spanish Financial Crisis. While some researchers have suggested that the self-employment (SE) sector is a haven during a financial crisis, others believe that SE is not necessarily the desired outcome, but an indicator that the labor market is tightening for some groups. Few researchers have compared the SE sector before and after the occurrence of a significant financial crisis, especially in developed countries. This paper analyzes the determinants of entry into self-employment during the 2008 Spanish Crisis. Using data from the Encuesta de Presupuesto Familiar (EPF), results show using the pooled data, the rate of SE did not show a significant change during this time the Crisis persisted, but females were more affected than males. Results also suggest differences in the SE sector response to the crisis varied across the Spanish states, the Comunidades Autonomas. Chapter 4: The Effectiveness Of Microenterprise Policies In Chile: The Case Of Chilecompra Entrepreneurship Centers. Microenterprise support programs (MESPs) have gained popularity as a modern development policy starting in the 1980s, with an increasing number of countries adopting this strategy to enhance economic growth. However, few studies have examined the effectiveness of these programs. This paper will evaluate one of these programs, Centros de Emprendimiento ChileCompra in Chile. This initiative consists of centers that provide training to entrepreneurs in business plan development, financing, and taxation to enable greater participation among microenterprises in the public procurement market. Using eight years of panel data on program contracts, we assess the impact of ChileCompra’s microenterprise participation component with regards to the share of the total business and the share of revenues. Initial results indicate that the program resulted in an increased share of contracts going to microenterprises at the national level, but that results were uneven at the local level. In many cases, contrary to the policy’s goals, the share of microenterprises receiving contracts through ChileCompra declined substantially.

Graduation Semester

2020-05

Type of Resource

Thesis

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Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2020 Sergio A. Contreras Pinto

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