AN EVALUATION OF SMALL BUSINESS POLICY INITIATIVES INTENDED TO STIMULATE REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Throughout the world, regional development is seen as a response to the growth of unemployment, outdated skills, dying country towns and the flows of people to ever expanding cities. In response, Governments are turning to small business to boost the economic sustainability of regional areas and economies as a whole. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the changing environment in which small business operates, the changes to the small business sector in the past ten years, and the initiatives taken by Governments in Australia to stimulate small business. The paper concludes with some recommendations for further research.