Funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, the ERC is the UK’s leading centre of excellence for research into the growth, innovation and productivity of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Our research helps shape better policies and practices that enable SMEs to thrive.
R&D: What can the Great Recession tell us about the likely impact of COVID-19?
It seems increasingly clear that the economic impacts of COVID-19 will be startlingly sharp for the UK and other world economies. The great unknown at present is whether the historic quarterly contraction we’re expecting to see in Q2 of 2020 is followed by a rebound, or a deep and painful recession. What’s also difficult to… Read more
Is small lending too big to fail? Covid-19 and P2P lending to SMEs
Over the last decade, the landscape of SME finance has changed dramatically. In the aftermath of the financial crisis, while traditional bank lending experienced a sluggish recovery, a new model of online marketplace (P2P) business lending emerged. Funding Circle, started in 2010, was the world’s first P2P platform to fund business loans and seemed to… Read more
UK companies facing COVID-19 “pincer movement”, data shows
News release: 20 April 2020 New data shows a spike in limited companies going out of business – coupled with a big decline in new starts – has hit all regions and sectors since the start of March New data suggests the UK economy is facing a worrying “pincer movement” due to the coronavirus pandemic,… Read more
Left in the cold: How company directors are excluded from the Government’s coronavirus support schemes
The Government’s various coronavirus support schemes aim to provide a safety net for both employees and the self-employed during the suddenly-imposed ‘lockdown’ period now affecting the UK economy. But while the headline measures announced by Chancellor Rishi Sunak over recent weeks – including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (JRS) aimed at employees, Coronavirus Business Interruption… Read more
The business effects of pandemics
Published today this ERC rapid review Insight paper considers the existing evidence on the business effects of pandemics, with a particular focus on the impact on small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Evidence from previous pandemics is reviewed, and in addition, we provide an overview of early assessments of the emerging evidence on the business impacts… Read more
London firms lead other European cities in crisis planning
Earlier this week a report from the Institute for Fiscal Studies highlighted the vulnerability of different groups of the population to unemployment following the current crisis. Businesses also vary in terms of their crisis planning and resilience, and research has shown that SMEs are less likely to connect risk identification and business planning activities, which… Read more
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