Derbyshire (2012) and Walburn (2012) have recently highlighted reasons for policymakers to be cautious when embracing the emerging high-growth firms policy panacea. However, both authors began from the premise that the very concept of high-growth firms is a valid one. This brief Viewpoint article highlights a further, more fundamental reason for caution: if prominent researchers such as Storey (2011) and Coad (2009) are right about the nature of firm growth then identifying and targeting support on high-growth firms is tantamount to targeting those firms with a lower likelihood than the average firm to grow at a rapid rate in the future.
