The eBay global marketplace sits at the nexus of technology and commerce and our platform is transforming the way goods are bought and sold in nearly every corner of the world. The rapid pace of change in the ecommerce industry is constantly producing new public policy challenges for small businesses and government policymakers. The Public Policy Lab seeks to put eBay at the forefront of addressing these challenges by:

• Conducting Innovative Research and developing compelling content;
• Developing Policy Innovations that offer new ideas and lines of thinking;
• Socializing Policy Innovations with thought leaders in the public and private sectors in order to spur discussion of the issues and begin a debate on solutions; and,
• Communicating Policy Innovations directly and in support of eBay communicators throughout the company. 

Since 2011, the eBay Public Policy Lab has examined how globalization and technology empowers Small and Medium-sized Enterprises to promote a more inclusive and robust economy. We have studied the trade patterns and growth of enterprises using the eBay Marketplace. Irrespective of where in the world we look, we have found micro and small businesses leveraging the online commerce platform model to engage in expansive commerce, often on a global scale. Across the more than 40 countries we have studied so far, spanning the Americas, Africa, Asia and Europe, technology is empowering even very small firms to serve consumers across an unprecedented number of countries. Furthermore, our research shows that this model creates growth opportunities at the firm level across regions and countries at different levels of development. In short, the economic activity of the SMEs across the platform is not only reflective of a more inclusive model of commerce, but it is also resulting in SME growth and dynamism that exceeds that found in the traditional economy. We invite you to explore the policy papers below to learn more about this revolution taking place in global commerce.