Cross-Border Cooperation

Cross-border cooperation is becoming increasingly important as one of the most effective internationalization strategies for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Despite the existence of substantial literature on the internationalization of SMEs, there is still a distinct gap to fill regarding the specifics of SME cross-border cooperation. This book contributes to this missing dialogue by identifying the key factors affecting cross-border cooperation activities for SMEs in a European context. It reconciles the background conditions, challenges, and potential that cross-border cooperation offers SMEs: exploring the role of public policy and governance structures in cooperation across borders; identifying the economic, social, cultural and institutional framework conditions; outlining the different stumbling blocks impeding cross-border cooperation of SMEs, and crucially, discussing how these can be overcome through effective cooperation management.