To complement investment climate improvements and to help unleash supply response, direct support is sometimes appropriate for formal small and medium firms as well as entrepreneurs in informal settings, for example, in rural areas. Such support may comprise both finance and advice, for example, rural credit and extension services. Several decades of attempts to provide such support have shed light on the key success factors. First and foremost, successful direct support to firms requires a sound investment climate that provides incentives to use public support well. Second, both financial and advisory support needs to be aligned.
