A Comparison of Small and Large Business Managers' Attitudes Toward Innovation and the Role of Government in Promoting Technology

House  Resolution  820 calls for   the establishment  of  technology  partnerships,  funded by  the federal    government,   designed   specifically   to  improve   small   businesses  access  to technology.   However, government-industry partnerships  have been criticized for  creating a government-assisted organization to compete with do1nestic private sector firms. The critics of  such  partnerships   argue  that  marker  intervention   by  the  government   often  results  in competitive  disadvantages for   the  very firms   the partnership   was  intended  to help.     This study assessed  the attitudes of small  business owners and managers toward  government  directed market interventions such as that proposed  in HR 820.  The results suggest  that there are some important  differences  between  managers  at  large  corporations  and  small  businesses  on  the effectiveness  of  market  intervention  by  the government,  both  in terms of job   creation  and technology   enhancement.      Within  the  subsample   of  small  firms,   however,   there   is  sharp disagreement on the value of government  programs  such as those proposed  in H.R. 820.