The book explores how, to what extent and with what consequences the international crisis of 2007-2008 and the recession which followed have affected European SMEs (small and medium enterprises) in both the well established market economies of the old member countries and in the post-transformation new member countries, and what can be done at the institutional and political level to uphold them.

Bruno Dallago is Professor of Economic Policy at the University of Trento, Italy

Chiara Guglielmetti presently is post-doctoral fellow at the School on Local Development at the University of Trento

Introduction Chiara Guglielmatti Part I: The Global Economic Crisis and Its Impacts on SMEs 1. The US Financial Crisis: A Long Day's Journey into Night Steven Rosefielde 2. The EU Crisis Seen from the Bottom: The Perspective of Vulnerable Economies on Eurozone Troubles Bruno Dallago and Chiara Guglielmetti 3. Financial Crises and Labour Markets: Comparative Evidences Marcello Signorelli 4. European Policis to Promote the Access to Finance of SMEs Elisabetta Pederzini Part II: SMEs' Vulnerability and Resilience 5. Vulnerable or Resilient? - SMEs and the Economic Crisis in the UK 6. Access to Finance, Access to Markets, Excess of Bureaucracy: The Three Problems of SME Development Andrej Rus 7. Polish and Hungarian SMEs Facing the Crisis Karoly Attila Soos 8. Riding the Economic Downturn: Cooperatives in Europe Michele Rondinelli and Anna Sarateanu Part III: SMEs and Local Development 9. Industrial Districts in Front of the Financial Crisis. Network Structure, Variety, Risk Sharing and Resilience Giulio Cainelli, Sandro Montressor and Giuseppe Vittucci Marzetti 10. Economic Structure, Reaction to the Crisis and Entrepreneurs' Expectations in a Mature Regional Economy: The Case of Lombardia Donatella Baiardi and Marco Percoco 11. Who are the Entrepreneurs that Help the Economy Emerge from Crisis?Ferran Vendrell-Herrero, José Luís González-Pernía and Iñaki Peña-Legazkue 12. Federal Grants for Local Development to Stop Economic Decline? Lessons from Germany Peter Haug and Martin T.W. Rosenfeld