Overview

Entrepreneurs and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) have become the darlings of neoliberal development thinking, with the received wisdom being that such enterprises hold the key to the economic transformation of low-income countries. This thinking has profoundly influenced development policy in Rwanda, but has singularly failed to deliver the much anticipated emergence of a new class of entrepreneurs and a vibrant SME sector. This book deconstructs the myths around entrepreneurship and SMEs, and reveals how neoliberal approaches towards microcredit and related programmes have failed to address the economic challenges facing countries like Rwanda. Drawing on his study of successful and aspiring entrepreneurs, Poole identifies the factors associated with successful entrepreneurship. He uncovers the unintended consequences of the entrepreneurship and SME development prescription, and offers key policy insights which have implications for Rwanda and beyond.

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9781786996268

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Reviews

At last, the development industry's myth that entrepreneurs and enterprises can be generated with business plans and credit has been exploded, at least in the context of Rwanda. --Professor Malcolm Harper David Poole's careful research in Rwanda blows fresh air into the stale atmosphere of conventional wisdom about entrepreneurship. This book should be required reading for aid officials and government officials and it will help them question the waste of resources poured into misguided credit schemes and training programmes in so many countries. --Christopher Cramer, Professor of the Political Economy of Development at SOAS, University of London

Author Information

David Poole holds a PhD from SOAS, University of London, and an MBA from Imperial College Business School. He had a successful career as a marketing consultant and entrepreneur. The experience of heading a team of volunteers providing support to businesses in Rwanda sparked his interest in the country's efforts to catalyse economic development through entrepreneurship and SME sector development.

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