Credit constraints, labor productivity and the role of regional institutions: evidence from manufacturing firms in Europe

Rodríguez-Pose, Andrés ORCID: 0000-0002-8041-0856, Ganau, Roberto, Maslauskaite, Kristina and Brezzi, Monica (2020) Credit constraints, labor productivity and the role of regional institutions: evidence from manufacturing firms in Europe. Journal of Regional Science. ISSN 0022-4146

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Abstract

This paper examines the relationship between credit constraints − proxied by the investment-to-cash flow sensitivity – and firm-level economic performance − defined in terms of labor productivity – during the period 2009-2016, using a sample of 22,380 manufacturing firms from 11 European countries. It also assesses how regional institutional quality affects productivity at the level of the firm both directly and indirectly. The empirical results highlight that credit rationing is rife and represents a serious barrier for improvements in firm-level productivity and that this effect is far greater for micro and small than for larger firms. Moreover, high-quality regional institutions foster productivity and help mitigate the negative credit constraints-labor productivity relationship that limits the economic performance of European firms. Dealing with the European productivity conundrum thus requires greater attention to existing credit constraints for micro and small firms, although in many areas of Europe access to credit will become more effective if institutional quality is improved.

Item Type:	Article
Official URL:	https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/14679787
Additional Information:	© 2020 Wiley Periodicals, Inc
Divisions:	Geography & Environment
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor H Social Sciences > HC Economic History and Conditions
JEL classification:	C - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods > C2 - Econometric Methods: Single Equation Models; Single Variables > C23 - Models with Panel Data D - Microeconomics > D2 - Production and Organizations > D24 - Production; Cost; Capital and Total Factor Productivity; Capacity G - Financial Economics > G3 - Corporate Finance and Governance > G32 - Financing Policy; Financial Risk and Risk Management; Capital and Ownership Structure H - Public Economics > H4 - Publicly Provided Goods > H41 - Public Goods R - Urban, Rural, and Regional Economics > R1 - General Regional Economics > R12 - Size and Spatial Distributions of Regional Economic Activity; Interregional Trade
Date Deposited:	05 Oct 2020 08:45
Last Modified:	12 Dec 2024 02:20
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/106697

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