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A Theory of Financing Constraints and Firm Dynamics

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Author Info
Gian Luca Clementi () (GSIA - Carnegie Mellon University)
Hugo Hopenhayn () (University of Rochester)

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Abstract

There is widespread evidence supporting the conjecture that borrowing constraints have important implications for firm growth and survival. In this paper we model a multi-period borrowing/lending relationship with asymmetric information. We show that borrowing constraints emerge as a feature of the optimal long-term lending contract, and that such constraints relax as the value of the borrower's claim to future cash-flows increases. We also show that the optimal contract has interesting implications for firm dynamics. In agreement with the empirical evidence, as age and size increase, mean and variance of growth decrease, firm survival increases, and the sensitivity of investment to cash-flows declines.

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File URL: http://rcer.econ.rochester.edu/RCERPAPERS/rcer_492.pdf
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Publisher Info
Paper provided by University of Rochester - Center for Economic Research (RCER) in its series RCER Working Papers with number 492.

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Length: 35 pages
Date of creation: Jun 2002
Date of revision:
Handle: RePEc:roc:rocher:492

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Postal: UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER, CENTER FOR ECONOMIC RESEARCH, DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMICS, HARKNESS 231 ROCHESTER NEW YORK 14627 U.S.A.

For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its listing, contact: (Terry Fisher).

Related research
Keywords: Optimal Contract Borrowing Constraints Moral Hazard Survival.

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Find related papers by JEL classification:
D82 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Asymmetric and Private Information
G32 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Financing Policy; Capital and Ownership Structure
L14 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Transactional Relationships; Contracts and Reputation

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Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
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Full references

Cited by:
(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. BIAIS, Bruno & MARIOTTI, Thomas & PLANTIN, Guillaume & ROCHET, Jean-Charles, 2004. "Dynamic Security Design: Convergence to Continuous Time and Asset Pricing Implications," IDEI Working Papers 312, Institut d'Économie Industrielle (IDEI), Toulouse, revised Sep 2006. [Downloadable!]
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  2. Esteban Rossi-Hansberg & Mark L.J. Wright, 2005. "Firm Size Dynamics in the Aggregate Economy," NBER Working Papers 11261, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  3. Eugenio Pinto, 2008. "Firm dynamics with infrequent adjustment and learning," Finance and Economics Discussion Series 2008-14, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.). [Downloadable!]
  4. D'Erasmo, Pablo, 2006. "Investment and firm dynamics," MPRA Paper 3598, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 12 Jul 2007. [Downloadable!]
  5. Matthias Messner & Nicola Pavoni, 2004. "On the Recursive Saddle Point Method," Levine's Bibliography 122247000000000050, UCLA Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
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  6. Professor Yong Kim & Univ. Southern California, 2004. "Asset ownership and Asset Values Over Project Lifecycles," Econometric Society 2004 Far Eastern Meetings 604, Econometric Society. [Downloadable!]
  7. George von Furstenberg & Ulf von Kalckreuth, 2007. "Dependence on External Finance by Manufacturing Sector: Examining the Measure and its Properties," Caepr Working Papers 2007-001, Center for Applied Economics and Policy Research, Economics Department, Indiana University Bloomington. [Downloadable!]
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  8. Hugo A. Hopenhayn & Galina Vereshchagina, 2003. "Risk Taking by Entrepreneurs," RCER Working Papers 500, University of Rochester - Center for Economic Research (RCER). [Downloadable!]
  9. BIAIS, Bruno & MARIOTTI, Thomas & ROCHET, Jean-Charles & VILLENEUVE, Stéphane, 2007. "Accident Risk, Limited Liability and Dynamic Moral Hazard," IDEI Working Papers 472, Institut d'Économie Industrielle (IDEI), Toulouse. [Downloadable!]
  10. Thomas Philippon & Yuliy Sannikov, 2007. "Real Options in a Dynamic Agency Model, with Applications to Financial Development, IPOs, and Business Risk," NBER Working Papers 13584, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  11. Peter Huber & Michael Pfaffermayr, 2007. "The Anatomy of the Firm Size Distribution: The Evolution of its Variance and Skewness," WIFO Working Papers 295, WIFO. [Downloadable!]
  12. Juan Pablo Medina, 2004. "The Default Rate and Price of Capital in a Costly External Finance Model," Working Papers Central Bank of Chile 297, Central Bank of Chile. [Downloadable!]
  13. Juan Pablo Medina, 2004. "Endogenous Financial Constraints: Persistence and Interest Rate Fluctuations," Working Papers Central Bank of Chile 290, Central Bank of Chile. [Downloadable!]
  14. Andrew Atkeson & Harold Cole, 2005. "A Dynamic Theory of Optimal Capital Structure and Executive Compensation," NBER Working Papers 11083, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  15. Esteban Rossi-Hansberg & Mark L. J. Wright, 2006. "Establishment size dynamics in the aggregate economy," Staff Report 382, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. [Downloadable!]
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  16. Koji Sakai & Iichiro Uesugi & Tsutomu Watanabe, 2005. "Firm Age and the Evolution of Borrowing Costs: Evidence from Japanese Small Firms," Discussion papers 05026, Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI). [Downloadable!]
  17. Roberto Burguet & R. Preston McAfee, 2008. "License Prices for Financially Constrained Firms," UFAE and IAE Working Papers 745.08, Unitat de Fonaments de l'Anàlisi Econòmica (UAB) and Institut d'Anàlisi Econòmica (CSIC). [Downloadable!]
  18. Cristina Arellano & Yan Bai & Jing Zhang, 2007. "Contract enforcement and firms’ financing," Staff Report 392, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. [Downloadable!]
  19. Carolyn Pitchik, 2006. "Budget-Constrained Sequential Auctions with Incomplete Information," Working Papers tecipa-230, University of Toronto, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
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