ICT policy to foster interorganisational ICT adoption by SMEs: The Netherlands Goes Digital case

SMEs are of vital importance for our economy and society. However, they lag behind in their adoption of ICT, particularly interorganisational ICT. Many countries have put policy programmes in place to improve SMEs on this aspect. Previous research provides unclear evidence on the effectiveness of these programs. With this study we aim to provide new insight into the impact of such policy choices on ICT adoption. Through a survey among a relatively large sample of SME participants (n=516) and a matched control group (n=124) of non-participating SMEs, we assess a policy programme that ran in the Netherlands from 2002-2007. Participants are found to use significantly more interorganisational ICT and also more often find that ICT has enhanced their firm’s performance compared to the control group. However, pre-selection effects cannot be ruled out. Based on our results, we suggest basic, awareness-focused policy programmes, as opposed to complex, government supported implementation processes