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Strategies for cross-national comparisons: Matching research issues and analysis objectives

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Abstract

Comparisons across different national economies can make a major contribution to understanding the role of entrepreneurial activity and new firm foundings in economic growth and change. At least four cross-national strategies are possible: (1) direct comparisons; (2) historical or time series correlations; (3) comparison of cross-market analyses; or (4) comparison of cross-regional analyses. The distinctive value of cross-regional analyses is considered and illustrated with a comparison of the effects of manufacturing births on economic growth in the U.S. and Japan.

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Original research on the U.S. discussed in this paper is from projects, conducted with Professor Wilbur Maki of the University of Minnesota, sponsored by the U.S. Small Business Administration (contract SBA 3067-OA-88) and the Rural Poverty and Resources Program of the Ford Foundation. Professor Yoshio Sato of Keio University (Tokyo) provided the data on Japan.

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Reynolds, P.D. Strategies for cross-national comparisons: Matching research issues and analysis objectives. Small Bus Econ 3, 245–260 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01840607

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