Place, sorting effects and barriers to enterprise in deprived areas: Different problems or different firms?
研究贫困地区企业是否面临不同的发展障碍，基于7670家英国中小企业数据，发现除融资困难外，区位效应不显著，但贫困地区企业同样有增长意愿。
Policies to stimulate enterprise in deprived areas typically attempt to remove the specific obstacles faced by firms in deprived locations. Yet there is little evidence that firms in deprived areas actually perceive different problems to those in more affluent places. Alternatively, different types of firms may locate in deprived places. This article uses a sample of 7670 English SMEs to investigate this issue. It asks two questions: Do firms in deprived areas perceive different barriers to success than other firms? And is this because of their location (a ‘place’ effect) or other characteristics (a ‘firm’ effect)? We find only limited evidence that ‘place’ effects are in operation: of nine potential obstacles only a lack of access to finance is significant, controlling for other firm characteristics. However, this finding may be important given that firms in deprived areas are equally likely to be growth orientated.