IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/inrvec/v60y2013i2p221-233.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Relational capital, profitability and access to credit: evidence from a sample of Italian small firms

Author

Listed:
  • Matteo Migheli

Abstract

This paper investigates the relationship between relational capital and profitability and accessibility to credit of a small firm. The extant literature shows a positive link between relational capital and other variables relevant to a firm’s development but does not cover access to credit. Here, a sample of 136 small firms from Piemonte (north-western Italy) is used. The results show that relational capital eases the access to credit and, in some cases, increases the probability of running positive profits. Copyright Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2013

Suggested Citation

  • Matteo Migheli, 2013. "Relational capital, profitability and access to credit: evidence from a sample of Italian small firms," International Review of Economics, Springer;Happiness Economics and Interpersonal Relations (HEIRS), vol. 60(2), pages 221-233, June.
  • Handle: RePEc:spr:inrvec:v:60:y:2013:i:2:p:221-233
    DOI: 10.1007/s12232-013-0180-6
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1007/s12232-013-0180-6
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s12232-013-0180-6?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Roberta Capello, 2002. "Spatial and Sectoral Characteristics of Relational Capital in Innovation Activity," European Planning Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 10(2), pages 177-200, March.
    2. Stephen Knack & Philip Keefer, 1997. "Does Social Capital Have an Economic Payoff? A Cross-Country Investigation," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 112(4), pages 1251-1288.
    3. Wu, Fang & Cavusgil, S. Tamer, 2006. "Organizational learning, commitment, and joint value creation in interfirm relationships," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 59(1), pages 81-89, January.
    4. Gordon Kingsley & Edward J. Malecki, 2004. "Networking for Competitiveness," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 23(1), pages 71-84, August.
    5. Carol Corrado & Charles Hulten & Daniel Sichel, 2009. "Intangible Capital And U.S. Economic Growth," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 55(3), pages 661-685, September.
    6. Claire Eckstein, 2004. "The measurement and recognition of intangible assets: then and now," Accounting Forum, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 28(2), pages 139-158, June.
    7. Lee, Yikuan & Cavusgil, S. Tamer, 2006. "Enhancing alliance performance: The effects of contractual-based versus relational-based governance," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 59(8), pages 896-905, August.
    8. De Clercq, Dirk & Sapienza, Harry J., 2006. "Effects of relational capital and commitment on venture capitalists' perception of portfolio company performance," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 21(3), pages 326-347, May.
    9. White, Fred C., 1995. "Valuation Of Intangible Capital In Agriculture," Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics, Southern Agricultural Economics Association, vol. 27(2), pages 1-9, December.
    10. Roberta Capello & Alessandra Faggian, 2005. "Collective Learning and Relational Capital in Local Innovation Processes," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 39(1), pages 75-87.
    11. Webster, Elizabeth, 2000. "The growth of enterprise intangible investment in Australia," Information Economics and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 12(1), pages 1-25, March.
    12. Philippe Aghion & Steven Durlauf (ed.), 2005. "Handbook of Economic Growth," Handbook of Economic Growth, Elsevier, edition 1, volume 1, number 1.
    13. Contractor, F. J. & Lorange, P., 2002. "The growth of alliances in the knowledge-based economy," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 11(4), pages 485-502, August.
    14. Hans Westlund & Elin Nilsson, 2005. "Measuring enterprises' investments in social capital: A pilot study," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 39(8), pages 1079-1094.
    15. White, Fred C., 1995. "Valuation of Intangible Capital in Agriculture," Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 27(2), pages 437-445, December.
    16. George Baker & Robert Gibbons & Kevin J. Murphy, 2002. "Relational Contracts and the Theory of the Firm," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 117(1), pages 39-84.
    17. Macpherson, Allan & Holt, Robin, 2007. "Knowledge, learning and small firm growth: A systematic review of the evidence," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(2), pages 172-192, March.
    18. Gleason, Katherine I. & Klock, Mark, 2006. "Intangible capital in the pharmaceutical and chemical industry," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 46(2), pages 300-314, May.
    19. Klock, Mark & Megna, Pamela, 2000. "Measuring and valuing intangible capital in the wireless communications industry," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 40(4), pages 519-532.
    20. Carole Uhlaner, 1989. "“Relational goods” and participation: Incorporating sociability into a theory of rational action," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 62(3), pages 253-285, September.
    21. Dufhues, Thomas & Buchenrieder, Gertrud & Munkung, Nuchanata, 2012. "Individual social capital and access to formal credit in Thailand," 2012 Conference, August 18-24, 2012, Foz do Iguacu, Brazil 123401, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    22. Matteo Migheli, 2011. "Capabilities and Functionings: The Role of Social Capital for Accessing New Capabilities," Review of Political Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 23(1), pages 133-142.
    23. Matteo Migheli, 2012. "Socialisation, Trust and Reciprocity among Young People," Swiss Journal of Economics and Statistics (SJES), Swiss Society of Economics and Statistics (SSES), vol. 148(I), pages 77-95, March.
    24. Chang, Kuo-Hsiung & Gotcher, Donald F., 2007. "Safeguarding investments and creation of transaction value in asymmetric international subcontracting relationships: The role of relationship learning and relational capital," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 42(4), pages 477-488, December.
    25. Fafchamps, Marcel & Minten, Bart, 2001. "Property Rights in a Flea Market Economy," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 49(2), pages 229-267, January.
    26. Delgado-Gomez, Jose M. & Ramirez-Aleson, Marisa & Espitia-Escuer, Manuel Antonio, 2004. "Intangible resources as a key factor in the internationalisation of Spanish firms," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 53(4), pages 477-494, April.
    27. Matteo Migheli, 2012. "Assessing Trust Through Social Capital? A Possible Experimental Answer," American Journal of Economics and Sociology, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 71(2), pages 298-327, April.
    28. Villalonga, Belen, 2004. "Intangible resources, Tobin's q, and sustainability of performance differences," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 54(2), pages 205-230, June.
    29. Wei‐ping Wu, 2008. "Dimensions of Social Capital and Firm Competitiveness Improvement: The Mediating Role of Information Sharing," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 45(1), pages 122-146, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Arrighetti, Alessandro & Landini, Fabio & Lasagni, Andrea, 2014. "Intangible assets and firm heterogeneity: Evidence from Italy," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 43(1), pages 202-213.
    2. Laura de Dominicis & Raymond J.G.M. Florax & Henri L.F. de Groot, 2013. "Regional clusters of innovative activity in Europe: are social capital and geographical proximity key determinants?," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 45(17), pages 2325-2335, June.
    3. Dufhues, Thomas & Buchenrieder, Gertrud & Fischer, Isabel, 2006. "Social capital and rural development: literature review and current state of the art [Sozialkapital und ländliche Entwicklung: Literaturüberblick und gegenwärtiger Stand der Forschung]," IAMO Discussion Papers 96, Leibniz Institute of Agricultural Development in Transition Economies (IAMO).
    4. Murat Ocak & Derya Fındık, 2019. "The Impact of Intangible Assets and Sub-Components of Intangible Assets on Sustainable Growth and Firm Value: Evidence from Turkish Listed Firms," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(19), pages 1-23, September.
    5. repec:zbw:iamodp:92017 is not listed on IDEAS
    6. Robert Huggins & Piers Thompson, 2015. "Entrepreneurship, innovation and regional growth: a network theory," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 45(1), pages 103-128, June.
    7. Colombo, Emilio & Stanca, Luca, 2014. "Measuring the monetary value of social relations: A hedonic approach," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 77-87.
    8. Giovanni Perucca, 2013. "Aredefinition of italian macro-areas: the role of territorial capital," RIVISTA DI ECONOMIA E STATISTICA DEL TERRITORIO, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2013(2), pages 37-65.
    9. Gareth D. Leeves, 2014. "Increasing returns to education and the impact on social capital," Education Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 22(5), pages 449-470, October.
    10. Katarzyna Growiec & Jakub Growiec & Bogumil Kaminski, 2017. "Social Network Structure and The Trade-Off Between Social Utility and Economic Performance," KAE Working Papers 2017-026, Warsaw School of Economics, Collegium of Economic Analysis.
    11. repec:spo:wpecon:info:hdl:2441/8813 is not listed on IDEAS
    12. Davide Fiaschi & Andrea Mario Lavezzi & Angela Parenti, 2020. "Deep and Proximate Determinants of the World Income Distribution," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 66(3), pages 677-710, September.
    13. Sipos, Norbert & Lukovszki, Lívia & Rideg, András & Varga, Anna Róza, 2023. "A magyar családi mikro-, kis- és középvállalatok erőforrás- és képességkonfigurációi [Resource and capability configurations of Hungarian family-owned micro, small and medium-sized enterprises]," Közgazdasági Szemle (Economic Review - monthly of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences), Közgazdasági Szemle Alapítvány (Economic Review Foundation), vol. 0(12), pages 1389-1413.
    14. Anchorena, José & Anjos, Fernando, 2015. "Social ties and economic development," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 45(C), pages 63-84.
    15. Rogers, Mark Llewellyn, 2008. "Directly unproductive schooling: How country characteristics affect the impact of schooling on growth," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 52(2), pages 356-385, February.
    16. Bohdan Kukharskyy & Michael Pflüger, 2011. "Relational Contracts and the Economic Well-Being of Nations," Working Papers 095, Bavarian Graduate Program in Economics (BGPE).
    17. Antoci Angelo & Sabatini Fabio & Sodini Mauro, 2009. "Will growth and technology destroy social interaction? The inverted U-shape hypothesis," wp.comunite 0057, Department of Communication, University of Teramo.
    18. Leonardo Becchetti & Emanuele Bobbio & Federico Prizia & Lorenzo Semplici, 2022. "Going Deeper into the S of ESG: A Relational Approach to the Definition of Social Responsibility," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(15), pages 1-22, August.
    19. Forte, Anabel & Peiró-Palomino, Jesús & Tortosa-Ausina, Emili, 2015. "Does social capital matter for European regional growth?," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 47-64.
    20. Marchese, Carla & Privileggi, Fabio, 2014. "A Competitive Idea-Based Growth Model with Shrinking Workers' Income," Department of Economics and Statistics Cognetti de Martiis. Working Papers 201415, University of Turin.
    21. Chang, Kuo-Hsiung & Chen, Yung-ray & Huang, Hsu-Feng, 2015. "Information technology and partnership dynamic capabilities in international subcontracting relationships," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 24(2), pages 276-286.
    22. Aiyar, Shekhar & Duval, Romain & Puy, Damien & Wu, Yiqun & Zhang, Longmei, 2018. "Growth slowdowns and the middle-income trap," Japan and the World Economy, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 22-37.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Relational capital; Small firms; Access to credit; Italy; D22; M21; Z13;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D22 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Firm Behavior: Empirical Analysis
    • M21 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Business Economics - - - Business Economics
    • Z13 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - Economic Sociology; Economic Anthropology; Language; Social and Economic Stratification

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:inrvec:v:60:y:2013:i:2:p:221-233. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.