This is the fourth and final abstract for the panel on Female Entrepereneurship in the Mekong Region to be held at the ICIRD Conference in Chiang Mai next month:
Government-Business Relationships in the CLMV Countries: The Impact on Female Entrepreneurs
Abstract
The CLMV countries – Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam – are all Mekong Region developing countries which would benefit greatly from well-considered and resourced assistance from the public sector. People in the four countries have grown to expect a strong, patriarchal (if imperfect) state that will lead the way in encouraging businesses to be formed and to flourish. While that expectation may in some senses be disappointed and the coverage of services and support from the public sector is at best unevenly provided, each government does nevertheless aim to provide support. That support is usually supplemented by international non-governmental organisations and by foreign government donor agencies. This paper examines the provision of services from CLMV government agencies from a critical perspective and, in particular, from the perspective of support for female entrepreneurs. This information is used to illuminate a discussion on the nature of relationships between the public and private sectors in each country and the forces that are causing these to change. The role of the AEC is also incorporated into this discussion. Conclusions are drawn and policy recommendations are made as a result.
Nittana Southiseng, Wilaiporn Lao-Hakosol and John Walsh
Dr. Nittana Southiseng is an SME Development Specialist, Mekong Institute, Thailand
Ms. Wilaiporn Lao-Hakosol is a doctoral candidate at the School of Management, Shinawatra University, Thailand
Dr. John Walsh is Assistant Professor at the School of Management, Shinawatra University, Thailand
