The aim of this research is to suggest policy proposals to enhance bilateral cooperation for SMEs(small and medium sized enterprises) between Korea and the Middle East through an examination of case studies of Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt and Tunisia.
   Chapter 2 examines the background and characteristics of measures to foster SMEs in the Middle East, going on to analyze the business environment in the region. SMEs are expected to play an important role in sustainable economic growth in the future, for instance by contributing to diversity in the economy and creating jobs in the Middle East. While the contribution that SMEs make to GDP is relatively low in the region compared to that of developed countries, SMEs account for the majority of all firms and contribute largely to employment. Amid the growing need for economic diversification and private sector development following the drop in oil prices that started from the second half of 2014, oil-producing countries in the Middle East have become more active in promoting SMEs to achieve their goals. Governments have expanded their support programs and investments for corporate development, which has led to an increase in local startups. While the growth potential of SMEs in the region is assessed to be quite high, there is still a need to improve the environment for fostering businesses. The Middle East ranked low overall on the Ease of Doing Business Index, Global Competitiveness Index, and Global Innovation Index, all of which evaluate business environments and competitiveness of countries. Notwithstanding differences among countries, SMEs in the Middle East struggle with limitations in financial access, lack of legal institutions, and poor efficiency in the labor market, problems which must be addressed with priority. Another challenge in the Middle East is the high preference for public sector jobs, and the lack of human resources to meet demands in the private sector. While job seekers generally avoid taking jobs in the private sector, which tend to pay lower wages for relatively heavy workloads, there is an urgent need to foster the private sector through SMEs in order to develop the economy and resolve unemployment issues in the future. Under these circumstances, labor productivity should be improved through education reform and vocational training, and efforts must be made to improve the public perception of employment in the private sector.
   Chapter 3 touches upon major policies and cases of inter-government cooperation related to the development of SMEs in four Middle Eastern countries — Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt and Tunisia. Saudi Arabia has recently presented its vision and detailed strategies for SMEs through the announcement of the “Saudi Vision 2030” and the “National Transformation Program 2020.” The Saudi Arabian government is providing credit guarantees and long-term financing to SMEs through the Saudi Industrial Development Fund, and promoting SMEs’ technological innovation by operating technology incubators, technology transfer programs and so on. The UAE has also shown strong interest in promoting SMEs by introducing new legislation for the small and medium enterprises sector(the SMEs Law) in April 2014. Through the Khalifa Fund for Economic Development, the UAE government offers various financial programs for SMEs based on their size, characteristics and the urgency of their financial needs, and promotes technological start-ups by holding contests for business ideas in the area of technology and technology commercialization programs.
   Egypt has outlined six strategies for promoting SMEs through the announcement of its “Industrial and Trade Development Strategies 2016-2020” in 2016 and established the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Development Agency(MSMEDA) in the following year to enhance the efficiency of its support policies. The Egyptian government has shown relatively high interest in promoting start-ups, but its policy on SMEs innovation seems somewhat lacking compared to the other three countries. Egypt has pushed for a total of four projects with the Canadian government in the SMEs sector. Tunisia reorganized its existing Ministry of Industry into the Ministry of Industry and Small and Medium Sized Enterprises in December 2017, and established a new department within the ministry to oversee matters related to SMEs. To promote technological innovation for SMEs, the Tunisian government emphasizes the importance of clusters such as technology parks. Policies for vitalizing start-ups in Tunisia are being implemented, together with the creation of business incubators and efforts to streamline business establishment procedures. Tunisia has recently stepped up its cooperation with the EU and German governments in areas such as financial and technological support for SMEs.
   Chapter 4 analyzes current trends of Korean SMEs in the Middle East and the Korean government’s support programs for them, also examining the difficulties and policy demands through survey data as well. From Korea’s perspective, the Middle East is a region where SMEs account for a larger portion of exports into the region than large corporations, and SMEs also show less volatility in their export volumes than conglomerates. The major export destinations for Korean SMEs in the region are Iran, UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. Foreign direct investment in the region by Korean SMEs remains relatively low. Major investors in the region include Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Egypt, with the construction and real estate sectors accounting for the largest proportion of this investment. The biggest difficulties of Korean companies in the Middle East are caused by the unique laws and regulations in the region, including the sponsorship and workforce nationalization policies in private companies. According to the survey, most of the Korean companies in the region have worked out their business difficulties on their own or through help from private institutions and only 16.7% of the companies have utilized the Korean government’s support programs. In addition, Korean companies’ awareness and satisfaction of the Korean government’s policies to support overseas companies were not that high. Regarding policy demand, Korean companies in the Middle East wish for an easing in trade finance/insurance support requirements, increasing funding for overseas investment, and the provision of more detailed and reliable information on local investment conditions and the sponsorship system.
   Chapter 5 suggests three basic policy schemes based on the research results in the previous chapters. First, financial assistance is necessary to increase joint ventures and M&A in the region. Second, systems to share information with businesses operating in the region should be strengthened. Toward this, a Korean team network between embassies, public institutions and companies could be established to share information on business opportunities and cases of dispute. Third, intergovernmental programs should be expanded to establish a cooperation partnership and network between Korean and Middle Eastern governments. These programs could be divided into human exchange programs and institutional improvement programs. 

서언

국문요약

제1장 머리말
1. 연구의 배경 및 목적
2. 연구의 범위 및 방법론
3. 연구의 구성 및 차별성

제2장 중동지역 중소기업 육성 배경 및 특징과 경영환경 분석
1. 중소기업 육성 배경
가. 경제다각화 및 지속가능한 경제성장
나. 일자리 창출
다. 지식경제 사회로의 전환
2. 중동지역 중소기업 현황 및 특징
가. 중소기업 정의
나. 중소기업의 경제적 중요성
다. 중소기업 특징
3. 중소기업 경영환경
4. 시사점

제3장 주요국의 중소기업 지원정책
1. 중소기업 육성전략
가. 비전 및 계획
나. 정부 지원 체계
2. 주요 지원정책 및 제도
가. 금융접근성 확대
나. 기술혁신 촉진
다. 창업 활성화
3. 외국기관 지원 및 정부간 협력사례
가. EU
나. 이집트-캐나다
다. 튀니지-독일
라. UAE-일본
4. 시사점

제4장 국내 중소기업의 중동 진출환경 및 애로요인 분석
1. 국내 중소기업의 중동 진출 동향
가. 수출
나. 해외직접투자
다. 해외건설 수주
2. 국내 중소기업 해외진출 지원정책 및 한ㆍ중동 중소기업 협력
가. 중소기업 해외진출 지원정책
나. 한ㆍ중동 중소기업 협력
3. 중동 진출 애로요인과 지원정책 수요에 대한 설문 조사 및 분석
가. 조사 개요
나. 설문조사 응답기업의 중동 진출 개요
다. 중동지역의 사업환경과 진출 애로요인
라. 정부 지원정책 만족도 및 개선 요청 사항
4. 시사점

제5장 국내 중소기업의 대중동 진출 확대를 위한 지원방안
1. 연구결과 및 시사점 요약
2. 부문별 지원방안
가. 기본 지원 방향 
나. 금융지원시스템 확충
다. 정보공유시스템 체계화
라. 정부간 협력사업 확대

참고문헌

부 록

Executive Summary