Our Knowledge and Expertise
Enterprise and Economic Development
A continuing theme of HOST’s project work and studies for public policy clients is enterprise and economic development. Reviews of targeted economic development goals and issues may be embedded within wider policy studies but are also conducted as stand-alone national (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales) and UK or multi-national studies. Comparative economic development studies involve HOST leading, or working with, a network of partner expert agencies across Europe and more selectively in non-European developed economies.
In enterprise development, specialist commissioned studies have been conducted in areas as diverse as self-employment, micro-enterprise formation and start-up, SME co-operation and development, enterprise restructuring, and in a range of management development and capacity building studies in SME settings. This work is often conducted in specific policy contexts, including areas such as enterprise start-up in disadvantaged social groups and in deprived areas. HOST also has long experience of reviewing effectiveness and better practice in business support and advisory services, and in entrepreneurial education and development, for government departments and agencies, regional development bodies, professional and development groupings, including for the Small Firms Council. HOST holds framework agreements (as a preferred supplier) with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS).
Economic development is a cross-cutting theme to many of HOST’s commissioned studies, but we also conduct targeted studies on issues such as sector and business competitiveness, economic restructuring, impact and innovation studies, and in specialist areas such as sustainable development and inward investment. These have been conducted for sector and other national bodies in the UK and Europe, but also widely for Regional Development Agencies and their strategic partners.
“HOST took a very flexible and professional approach to a difficult project.”