Features of the development of small business in Russia in 1996-2013

The article reveals the role and place of small businesses in the current economic conditions. It analyzes the dynamics of the small business development and assesses the impact of the financial crisis on the activities of small and medium-sized businesses, as well as the analysis of the small enterprises structure by economic activity and its change over the past sixteen years. It reveals the necessity to improve measures of state support for domestic small and medium businesses in connection with a significant lag in development of this economic sector.