Small scale enterprises and strategies of local development : a case study in the prefecture of Karditsa

Abstract

This paper discusses the possibilities for the estate establishment of a local development strategy and the steps for its implementation on the basis of an empirical research conducted for the SMEs in the Karditsa Pretecture, Greece. The first part examines the general setting within which local societies seek their way to economic development. In the second part the authors present briefly the theoretical and empirical approaches for the SMEs and the case of «flexible specialisation», as well as the general features of SMEs in Greece. The third part deals with the local production structure of the Karditsa prefecture focusing on the structure and development of manufacture in the region. The research results are also presented in this part. On the basis of the research results and of the analysis of the structure of the local economy, the authors propose in the fourth part a developmental strategy along the lines of information diffusion, of upgrading of the human potential and of the creation of cooperation networks. This strategy should be flexible and based on a viable tactical plan including the mobilisation and pro-active participation of local agents.