The OECD Working Party on
Small and Medium-sized Enterprises and Entrepreneurship (WPSMEE)

The OECD, with a unique international forum of SME policy makers and a range of multidisciplinary skills in this area, has an important role to play in the diffusion of best practice policies and programmes. Through its Working Party on SMEs and Entrepre­neurship (WPSMEE), the OECD works to enhance the perform­ance of small businesses by promoting best practice policies and international co-operation in this area among member and non-member economies. The Working Party is entrusted with examining the nature and scale of issues and policies pertaining to SMEs and entrepreneurship at the national and international levels. In order to complement the work of its parent Committee, the Committee on Industry, Innovation & Entrepreneurship (CIIE) which is in charge, inter alia, of broader industry policy matters, the WPSMEE focuses on issues and challenges specific to SMEs and entrepreneurs. The Working Party promotes the evaluation of SME policies and programmes with a view to improving their efficiency.

The OECD WPSMEE gives special consideration to the increasingly important role that innovative start-ups and SMEs play in job creation and growth. It addresses issues related to: business environment and regulatory framework, innovation, financing, taxation, human resources, access to markets, electronic commerce, and women’s entre­preneurship. This task is accomplished through discussions within the Working Party, research projects, and horizontal co-operation with relevant bodies within the OECD.

The Working Party is also strengthening its co-operation with international organisations/institutions and regional bodies, including APEC, ILO, UNCTAD, UNIDO, the World Bank, and regional development banks, such as the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB).

See www.oecd.org/cfe/sme for more information.