ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses the impact of public policy in relation to small firm formation and growth in three western counties in the Republic of Ireland. In the Republic of Ireland, enthusiasm for small and micro enterprises was stimulated by a number of key factors. The resultant study confirmed the importance and potential of indigenous enterprises, highlighting the fact that businesses employing fewer than 50 employees accounted for one-quarter of those employed in manufacturing in the Republic of Ireland in 1993. In particular, the focus is on establishing the efficacy of Irish public policy as it relates to the formation and development of small and medium manufacturing enterprises in a marginal rural area in the west of Ireland. Rural depopulation has been pronounced, especially in the northern parts of the study area. The development of manufacturing industry has been an important constituent process in the transformation of rural Ireland.
