| Author Name | YASUDA Takehiko (Toyo University) |
|---|---|
| Creation Date/NO. | November 2014 14-J-049 |
| Research Project | Historical Research on the Major Topics of Japan's Trade and Industrial Policy |
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Abstract
The Japanese government has been offering meticulously designed policy measures to support small and medium enterprises (SMEs). This paper examines to what extent SMEs are actually aware of those measures based on findings from our original online survey, and attempts to identify and analyze the factors that determine the degree of policy penetration.
Our survey found that SMEs are, all in all, poorly informed about key SME policy measures implemented in the 2000s. It was also found that the degree of awareness—or policy penetration—differs depending on the attributes of each SME such as firm size and the type of management as well as on the type of policy measure.
Furthermore, this study considers the following two possible reasons for the low degree of policy penetration: 1) SMEs believe they do not need to be informed about government policies, and 2) SME managers do not have enough time to learn about government policies. An empirical analysis reveals that the latter is the primary factor for the low penetration rate.
These results point to the need for the government to consider ways to make policy information more readily accessible to SMEs rather than just printing and distributing more explanatory brochures.
