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Financial constraints and firms' investment: results of a natural experiment measuring firm response to power interruption

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Author Info
Steinbuks, J.

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Abstract

This study uses the observed differences between public system failures and private investment as a natural experiment to reveal the effect of financing constraints on firms' ability to substitute specifically for deficient public services and more generally to acquired complementary capital. The analysis of the firm-level data from Sub-Saharan Africa shows that, controlling for other factors, firms with a better access to credit are also more likely to invest into private substitutes when public services are deficient. Consistent with the predictions of the theoretical model these findings indicate that financing constraints have a significant impaction on firms' ability to deal with poor public capital.

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Publisher Info
Paper provided by Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge in its series Cambridge Working Papers in Economics with number 0844.

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Date of creation: Aug 2008
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Handle: RePEc:cam:camdae:0844

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Related research
Keywords: Financing Constraints; Complementary Capital; Natural Experiment; Sub-Saharan Africa;

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Find related papers by JEL classification:
D92 - Microeconomics - - Intertemporal Choice and Growth - - - Intertemporal Firm Choice and Growth, Investment, or Financing
H54 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - Infrastructures
O16 - Economic Development, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Financial Markets; Saving and Capital Investment

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