KOSGEB – WORLD BANK

Nationwide SME Access to Finance Research Project

Project Overview

ID Research & Consultancy carried out a large-scale, nationwide research assignment focusing on the financial access, financing conditions and experiences of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across Türkiye.

Implemented within the context of cooperation between KOSGEB and the World Bank, the study represents a major business research undertaking in terms of both its geographical coverage and sample size. The quantitative component covered 11,062 enterprises across all 81 provinces of Türkiye, enabling the study to capture the diversity of the country’s SME ecosystem across different regions, enterprise sizes and sectors.

The assignment required considerably more than large-scale data collection. It involved the application of a comprehensive research framework covering sampling, nationwide fieldwork implementation, field coordination, data quality assurance, weighting, statistical analysis and reporting, complemented by qualitative research with business owners.

The project demonstrates ID’s capacity to translate complex research requirements into a coordinated nationwide research operation while maintaining methodological consistency, data quality and analytical rigor throughout the research lifecycle.

Geographic Coverage

Nationwide – All 81 Provinces of Türkiye

The research was implemented across the entire country, providing comprehensive geographical coverage and allowing enterprises operating under different regional and socioeconomic conditions to be represented within the study.

The nationwide design required extensive field coordination and the ability to implement standardized research procedures across geographically diverse locations.

Target Population

The primary target population consisted of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises operating in Türkiye, including enterprises from different sectors, regions and enterprise-size categories.

The research framework was designed to provide evidence on the experiences and perspectives of businesses in relation to access to finance and the broader financial environment affecting SMEs.

Qualitative components further supported the quantitative evidence by providing deeper insight into the experiences, challenges and perceptions of business owners.

Research Design and Implementation

The assignment was implemented through a comprehensive research approach combining large-scale quantitative research with qualitative inquiry.

The quantitative component comprised a nationwide survey of 11,062 enterprises, making the assignment one of ID’s major large-scale business research operations.

ID’s responsibilities and research capabilities applied within the assignment included:

• Sampling design and sample implementation
• Nationwide fieldwork coordination
• Quantitative data collection
• Qualitative research and focus group discussions
• Field supervision and monitoring
• Data quality assurance and quality control
• Data cleaning and validation
• Statistical weighting
• Statistical analysis
• Interpretation of findings
• Reporting

The combination of quantitative and qualitative methods enabled the study to go beyond numerical indicators and provide a deeper understanding of the conditions, barriers and experiences affecting enterprises.

Sampling and Representativeness

A structured sampling approach was applied to ensure appropriate representation of the SME population.

The research covered enterprises across all 81 provinces, while taking into account key dimensions such as enterprise size, geographical distribution and sectoral structure.

Following data collection, statistical weighting procedures were applied where required to support population-level interpretation and strengthen the representativeness of the research findings.

This component of the assignment particularly reflects ID’s expertise in complex survey sampling, weighting and nationally representative research design.

Data Quality Assurance

Data quality constituted a central component of the research process.

Quality assurance was approached as an integrated process extending from field preparation and interviewer implementation through monitoring, validation, data cleaning and final analytical review.

The objective was not merely to achieve the required number of interviews, but to ensure that the resulting dataset provided a consistent, reliable and analytically robust evidence base for subsequent assessment and reporting.

Qualitative Research

The quantitative research was complemented by qualitative research with business owners.

The qualitative component provided an opportunity to examine issues that could not be fully understood through structured survey questions alone, including business experiences, perceived barriers, financing challenges and employment-related considerations.

The integration of quantitative and qualitative evidence strengthened the explanatory value of the research and supported a more comprehensive interpretation of the findings.

Strategic Importance of the Assignment

The project is particularly significant within ID’s institutional portfolio because it demonstrates the company’s ability to manage a research assignment at the intersection of:

SME development • Access to finance • Employment • Business environment • Economic and social policy • Nationwide survey research

The assignment also demonstrates the ability to operate within a World Bank–KOSGEB institutional environment, where methodological rigor, documentation, data quality and operational capacity are essential.

With 11,062 enterprises reached across all 81 provinces, the project provides strong evidence of ID’s capacity to undertake large-scale and geographically complex research assignments for national institutions, international organizations and development partners.