Synthesising MSME Development Realities and Strategic Pathways in South and Southeast Asia

This chapter aims to synthesise the empirical and conceptual contributions of the 23 chapters in this edited volume, MSME Development in South and Southeast Asia: Navigating Growth and Challenge s, into a coherent regional narrative. To ensure a rigorous and transparent synthesis, all chapter abstracts were systematically coded using NVivo 14. Each abstract was treated as a case, and inductive coding was applied. Chapter findings were explored under two main analytical streams: the observed realities that characterise current micro, small, and medium enterprise (MSME) conditions in the study contexts, and the proposed actions that authors recommend strengthening resilience, competitiveness, and inclusivity. Observed realities were inductively consolidated into higher-order domains and used to develop the Dual-Layer MSME Resilience and Development Model for South and Southeast Asia explaining how MSME outcomes in the region are shaped by the interaction between enterprise-level capabilities and broader ecosystem conditions. In doing so, the conclusion provides an integrative framework clarifying the context-specific challenges, convergences across countries, and emerging new research and policy priorities.