Fast-growth firms and their wider economic impact: UK evidence. Research Paper No 73

Published: 22 January 2019

Small groups of fast-growth firms make a significant contribution to job creation and economic growth. Yet we know little about their broader impact on the economy. This research investigates how the number of fast-growth firms in a region and industry impacts on growth of other firms. By linking the ONS Business Structure Database (BSD) with additional data at the industrial and regional level over the period 1997-2013, we test different channels of wider effects of fast-growth firms in the manufacturing and professional service sectors.

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Team size, diversity and performance of new ventures and SMEs : a meta-analysis.Research Paper 64

Published: 15 February 2018

This paper describes what we know about the effect of top managerial teams (TMT) size and diversity on the performance of new ventures and SMEs. It does so by summarising the results of a thorough literature search of quantitative studies published on this topic between 1990 and 2016 and of a meta-analysis on the relationships reported in these studies.
1990 and 2016 and of a meta-analysis on the relationships reported in these studies.
The search revealed 47 studies and 266 measured relationships between TMT size or diversity and firm performance. These studies employed different samples, econometric techniques, geographical and industry sector focus. Almost 77% of the studies in our sample focus on new ventures, 60% on high-tech firms and 36% on SMEs.
While the meta-analysis reveals many significant and positive effects of team size and diversity, the range of effects varies quite widely depending on context, generating a range of effect sizes from small to large. This inconsistency in results suggests that more replicative studies are required to add to the body of knowledge on team effects on performance.

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Assessing the business performance effects of receiving publicly-funded science, research and innovation grants – Research Paper No 61( Revised )

Published: 6 September 2017

UK Research Councils spend around £1.7bn pa on supporting research. Here, we provide the first comprehensive assessment of these research grants on the performance of UK firms. Using data on funding and partnership from Gateway to Research on all funded projects by the UK Research Councils over the 2004 to 2016 period and business performance data from the Business Structures Database we have applied a difference-in-differences propensity score matching technique to evaluate the performance of UK firms who participated in publicly-funded research projects. Our analysis suggests five key conclusions. First, firms who participated in research projects funded by UK research councils grew their turnover and employment 5.8-6.0 per cent faster in the three years after the project, and 22.5-28.0 per cent faster in the six years after the project, than similar firms which did not receive support. Second, the impact of participating in projects is larger for firms in high-tech manufacturing and knowledge intensive services. Third, we find evidence that the impact of participating in projects is larger for small firms and those with lower starting productivity (turnover per employee). Growth impacts on firms in the top quartile of the productivity (turnover per employee) distribution are small. Fourth, support relevant to businesses is provided largely by EPSRC and Innovate UK. Participation in projects funded by both organisation increases both employment and turnover growth in the short and medium terms with only marginal differences in their impact. Fifth, the effects of grants vary depending on the size of the project. Participating in projects involving small and very large grants have smaller growth effects than medium-sized support packages. Our results have implications for the extent and targeting of future Research Council funding.
Our analysis is subject to a number of caveats. First, data limitations mean that we measure economic impacts using turnover and employment data rather than value added per worker or hour worked. Secondly, at this point we only consider the direct impacts on firms. Spillovers or multiplier effects may significantly enlarge these effects; displacement may reduce them. Both will be considered in a future study. Thirdly, data linking and the timing of some grant awards in recent years mean we are able to consider growth effects for only around two-thirds of firms which participated in publicly funded science and innovation projects.

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  Innovation and Exporting

Understanding self-employment – ERC Insight Paper

Published: 7 July 2016

This Insight Paper presents the key findings of studies presented at the "Understanding Self-Employment” workshop organised by the Microbusiness Research Portal with the support of the Centre for Enterprise and Economic Development Research (CEEDR) at Middlesex University Business School on the 7th June 2016. The seminar explored the recent increase in self-employment in the UK, discussed the problems related to the definition of self-employment and presented the implications for policy development.

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