Distinguishing Economically from Legally Formal Firms: Targeting Business Support to Entrepreneurs in South Africa’s Townships*
基于南非乡镇企业家调查，区分法律正规与经济正规企业，分析影响收入和就业的企业与业主特征，为资源有限的政府提供精准商业支持建议。
Although the government of South Africa (SA) has formally adopted a policy of proactive support of entrepreneurship, providing business assistance to all of its entrepreneurs is beyond SA’s financial and human resource capabilities. This study utilizes the results of an in‐depth survey of entrepreneurs in SA’s townships to find: (1) The business and owner traits that predict revenues and job creation among the township entrepreneurs, (2) The key issues that challenge township entrepreneurs; and (3) What the answers to these issues imply about the appropriate content and recipients of business assistance to township entrepreneurs. A distinction is helpful in framing this study’s approach. In SA, registered (licensed) businesses are legally formal firms. In contrast, economically formal firms have institutionalized processes that lead to success as a profit‐making firm. We use this distinction in our analysis of the data and framing of the implications for business assistance strategy in SA.