During Dr Storey’s career policy makers and the general public have grown ever more interested in both the small business sector and small business research. This was no mere coincidence – Dr Storey being responsible for the increased focus in this field on unbiased, large-scale and high-quality research. Apart from conducting comprehensive empirical work of his own, he also initiated and coordinated extensive national and cross-national research programs that shed light on the central small business issues: the cycle of birth, growth and death of small firms, and the role of finance.
He is the author or co-author of an impressive number of books, reports and articles, and has played a crucial role synthesizing the research findings derived from both within and outside these projects. As a result, his research and writings have had far-reaching policy implications for small firms and their role in the economy.
Dr Storey has been very active in reaching out to both academic and non-academic audiences. His success is evident from the fact that he is, by far, the most cited small business research scholar in Europe. As a consequence, his research has had an enduring and deep impact on the quality, credibility and policy relevance of the entire field of small business research.