Heterogeneous Effects of Business Collaboration on Innovation in Small Enterprises: China Compared to Brazil, Indonesia, Nigeria, and Thailand

The question is whether the benefits of collaboration for innovation for small enterprises in China are comparable to or different from other developing countries—Brazil, Indonesia, Thailand, and Nigeria—that have been surveyed by the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM). When it comes to innovation, the benefits of collaboration for small firms in China, as in Brazil and Indonesia, are found to be negligible, whereas the benefits are substantial in Thailand and Nigeria. The benefits are measured in terms of innovation. The findings contribute to understanding collaboration as a systemic property that benefits innovation in small firms that are embedded in institutions that moderate that benefit.