Micro entrepreneurship support programme in Chile

This study by Claudia A. Martínez, Esteban E. Puentes and Jaime Ruiz-Tagle V. used a randomised controlled trial to assess the effectiveness of a large-scale micro entrepreneurship support programme in Chile. The programme implemented by the Ministry of Social Development provided in-kind start-up capital of about US$600 (approximately 4.5 times the monthly poverty line) and 60 hours of training in successful business practices to 1,600 applicants in the Santiago metropolitan region over a period of 46 months. The study found that the programme significantly increased employment by 15.3 percentage points in the short run (mostly through self-employment) and 6.8 percentage points in the long run (mostly through wage work).