Publication: Spurring Innovation with Matching Grants: Evidence from Yemen
Date
2015-11
ISSN
Published
2015-11
Author(s)
Abstract
Matching grants are one of the most
common tools used in private sector development programs in
developing countries and have been included in more than 60
World Bank projects totaling over US$1.2 billion, funding
over 100,000 micro, small and medium enterprises. The
Enterprise Revitalization and Employment Pilot (EREP) was
designed as a two year pilot project aimed at improving firm
capabilities and the employability of recent graduates. The
matching grant component provided firms with a matching
grant of up to $10,000 as a 50 percent subsidy towards the
cost of innovation and business services like finance and
accounting systems, website creation, training, marketing,
participation in exhibitions, and some associated goods. The
program implementation was designed with the lessons of
other matching grant programs in mind in order to overcome
their problems with take-up: eligibility criteria were kept
broad; the application form was not complex and could be
done either online or in paper; and the program was well-advertised.
Citation
“McKenzie, David; Assaf, Nabila; Cusolito, Ana Paula. 2015. Spurring Innovation with Matching Grants: Evidence from Yemen. Finance PSD Impact,no. 34. The Lessons from DECRG-FP Impact Evaluations;. © http://hdl.handle.net/10986/23483 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”