Special issue introduction: Business Support for Entrepreneurs and Small Firms: Access, Design, and Impacts: A Research Agenda

Citation

Chapman G, Wapshott R, Caloffi A, Hottenrott H & Mallett O (2026) Special issue introduction: Business Support for Entrepreneurs and Small Firms: Access, Design, and Impacts: A Research Agenda. International Small Business Journal. https://doi.org/10.1177/02662426261472421

Abstract
Governments and non-governmental organisations commit substantial resources to a range of business support interventions for small firms and entrepreneurs. A substantive body of research has investigated such support interventions over recent decades. While important progress has been made, the literature remains fragmented, and critical questions and long-standing concerns remain unaddressed. Utilising an access, design and effectiveness framework to structure the fragmented literature, this paper develops a research agenda that advances a more holistic understanding of business support. We also bring attention to novel themes around start-up mobility, artificial intelligence, and risk aversion, which we believe have important implications across the domains of business support research. In doing so, we advance ongoing business support debates and invite new inquiry that can inform the development of more effective and accessible business support interventions.

Keywords
business support; enterprise policy; innovation policy; policy design; public support