IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/reveco/v88y2023icp981-1002.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Financial development, legal systems and SME finance: Cross-country evidence

Author

Listed:
  • Wang, Hongzhi
  • Xiang, Xin
  • Han, Liang

Abstract

This paper provides a comprehensive investigation into the selection of different sources of finance for both short-term and long-term projects by SMEs, utilizing cross-country data from the World Bank. The results highlight the crucial roles played by financial development and legal system in the countries where SMEs operate. Specifically, with better developed financial systems, SMEs are more likely to use formal sources of external finance from formal sources (e.g., bank and non-bank institutions) to meet their short term and long term financing needs, highlighting the importance of financial development in accessing external finance for SMEs. Furthermore, this paper provides evidence on the moderating effects of legal systems on the favourable impacts of financial development on SME finance. In particular, the effects of financial development on SMEs’ access to external finance are more pronounced in countries with stronger investor protection, such as common law countries, than in those civil law countries, highlighting the importance of legal syystems in facilitating SME financing and suggests that policymarkers should consider strengthening investor protection on promote SME growth and development.

Suggested Citation

  • Wang, Hongzhi & Xiang, Xin & Han, Liang, 2023. "Financial development, legal systems and SME finance: Cross-country evidence," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 88(C), pages 981-1002.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:reveco:v:88:y:2023:i:c:p:981-1002
    DOI: 10.1016/j.iref.2023.07.021
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1059056023002307
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.iref.2023.07.021?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. Zheng, Xiaolan & El Ghoul, Sadok & Guedhami, Omrane & Kwok, Chuck C.Y., 2012. "National culture and corporate debt maturity," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 36(2), pages 468-488.
    2. Wurgler, Jeffrey, 2000. "Financial markets and the allocation of capital," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 58(1-2), pages 187-214.
    3. N. Berger, Allen & F. Udell, Gregory, 1998. "The economics of small business finance: The roles of private equity and debt markets in the financial growth cycle," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 22(6-8), pages 613-673, August.
    4. Berger, Allen N. & Udell, Gregory F., 2006. "A more complete conceptual framework for SME finance," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 30(11), pages 2945-2966, November.
    5. Bena, Jan & Ondko, Peter, 2012. "Financial development and the allocation of external finance," Journal of Empirical Finance, Elsevier, vol. 19(1), pages 1-25.
    6. Inessa Love, 2003. "Financial Development and Financing Constraints: International Evidence from the Structural Investment Model," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 16(3), pages 765-791, July.
    7. Berndt, Antje & Gupta, Anurag, 2009. "Moral hazard and adverse selection in the originate-to-distribute model of bank credit," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 56(5), pages 725-743, July.
    8. Durusu-Ciftci, Dilek & Ispir, M. Serdar & Yetkiner, Hakan, 2017. "Financial development and economic growth: Some theory and more evidence," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 39(2), pages 290-306.
    9. Cole, Rebel A. & Moshirian, Fariborz & Wu, Qiongbing, 2008. "Bank stock returns and economic growth," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 32(6), pages 995-1007, June.
    10. Nicholas Bloom & John Van Reenen, 2010. "Why Do Management Practices Differ across Firms and Countries?," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 24(1), pages 203-224, Winter.
    11. Chong, Terence Tai-Leung & Lu, Liping & Ongena, Steven, 2013. "Does banking competition alleviate or worsen credit constraints faced by small- and medium-sized enterprises? Evidence from China," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 37(9), pages 3412-3424.
    12. Myers, Stewart C., 1984. "Capital structure puzzle," Working papers 1548-84., Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Sloan School of Management.
    13. Li, Jialong & Maung, Min & Wilson, Craig, 2018. "Governance and financial development: A cross-country analysis," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 227-239.
    14. Ryan, Robert M. & O’Toole, Conor M. & McCann, Fergal, 2014. "Does bank market power affect SME financing constraints?," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 495-505.
    15. Myers, Stewart C, 1984. "The Capital Structure Puzzle," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 39(3), pages 575-592, July.
    16. Myers, Stewart C, 1984. "The Capital Structure Puzzle," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 39(3), pages 575-592, July.
    17. Alicia M. Robb & David T. Robinson, 2014. "The Capital Structure Decisions of New Firms," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 27(1), pages 153-179, January.
    18. Beck, Thorsten & Demirgüç-Kunt, Asli & Maksimovic, Vojislav, 2008. "Financing patterns around the world: Are small firms different?," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 89(3), pages 467-487, September.
    19. Rahaman, Mohammad M., 2011. "Access to financing and firm growth," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 35(3), pages 709-723, March.
    20. Ennew, Christine T. & Binks, Martin R., 1999. "Impact of Participative Service Relationships on Quality, Satisfaction and Retention: An Exploratory Study," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 46(2), pages 121-132, October.
    21. Levine, Ross, 2005. "Finance and Growth: Theory and Evidence," Handbook of Economic Growth, in: Philippe Aghion & Steven Durlauf (ed.), Handbook of Economic Growth, edition 1, volume 1, chapter 12, pages 865-934, Elsevier.
    22. Javier Sánchez-Vidal & Juan Martín-Ugedo, 2005. "Financing Preferences of Spanish Firms: Evidence on the Pecking Order Theory," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 25(4), pages 341-355, December.
    23. Foltz, Jeremy D., 2004. "Credit market access and profitability in Tunisian agriculture," Agricultural Economics, Blackwell, vol. 30(3), pages 229-240, May.
    24. Leuz, Christian & Nanda, Dhananjay & Wysocki, Peter D., 2003. "Earnings management and investor protection: an international comparison," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 69(3), pages 505-527, September.
    25. Annabel Vanroose & Bert D’Espallier, 2013. "Do microfinance institutions accomplish their mission? Evidence from the relationship between traditional financial sector development and microfinance institutions’ outreach and performance," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 45(15), pages 1965-1982, May.
    26. Beck, Thorsten & Demirguc-Kunt, Asli, 2006. "Small and medium-size enterprises: Access to finance as a growth constraint," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 30(11), pages 2931-2943, November.
    27. Mateev, Miroslav & Poutziouris, Panikkos & Ivanov, Konstantin, 2013. "On the determinants of SME capital structure in Central and Eastern Europe: A dynamic panel analysis," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 27(1), pages 28-51.
    28. Bo Becker & Jinzhu Chen & David Greenberg, 2013. "Financial Development, Fixed Costs, and International Trade," The Review of Corporate Finance Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 2(1), pages 1-28.
    29. Robert C. Merton, 1992. "Financial Innovation And Economic Performance," Journal of Applied Corporate Finance, Morgan Stanley, vol. 4(4), pages 12-22, January.
    30. Leon, Florian, 2015. "Does bank competition alleviate credit constraints in developing countries?," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 130-142.
    31. He, Feng & Qin, Shuqi & Liu, Yuanyuan & Wu, Ji (George), 2022. "CSR and idiosyncratic risk: Evidence from ESG information disclosure," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 49(C).
    32. Voordeckers, Wim & Steijvers, Tensie, 2006. "Business collateral and personal commitments in SME lending," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 30(11), pages 3067-3086, November.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Zhang, Jinyue & Sun, Zhenglin, 2025. "Energy-environmental efficiency enhancement using green finance through spatio-temporal heterogeneity and dynamic regulatory mechanisms: Multiple perspectives study," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 240(C).
    2. Kanga, Désiré & Soumare, Issouf & Tchuigoua, Hubert Tchakoute, 2024. "Financial sector development and microcredit to small firms," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 96(C).

    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. Martinez Cillero, Maria & Lawless, Martina & O'Toole, Conor, 2019. "The determinants of SME capital structure across the lifecycle," Papers WP614, Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI).
    2. Anoosheh Rostamkalaei & Mark Freel, 2016. "The cost of growth: small firms and the pricing of bank loans," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 46(2), pages 255-272, February.
    3. Paola Bongini & Annalisa Ferrando & Emanuele Rossi & Monica Rossolini, 2021. "SME access to market-based finance across Eurozone countries," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 56(4), pages 1667-1697, April.
    4. Myint Moe Chit & Marian Rizov, 2024. "SMEs' diversification of financing sources: Strategy or desperation?," International Journal of Finance & Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 29(3), pages 3123-3146, July.
    5. Maren Forier & Nadine Lybaert & Maarten Corten & Niels Appermont & Tensie Steijvers, 2023. "The flip side of the coin: how entrepreneurship-oriented insolvency laws can complicate access to debt financing for growth firms," European Journal of Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 56(3), pages 461-495, December.
    6. Cumming, Douglas & Knill, April & Richardson, Nela, 2015. "Firm size and the impact of securities regulation," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 43(2), pages 417-442.
    7. Annalisa Ferrando & Maria†Teresa Marchica & Roberto Mura, 2017. "Financial Flexibility and Investment Ability Across the Euro Area and the UK," European Financial Management, European Financial Management Association, vol. 23(1), pages 87-126, January.
    8. Epure, Mircea & Guasch, Martí, 2020. "Debt signaling and outside investors in early stage firms," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 35(2).
    9. Charles HARVIE & Narjoko Dionisius & Sothea OUM, 2013. "Small and Medium Enterprises' Access to Finance: Evidence from Selected Asian Economies," Working Papers DP-2013-23, Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA).
    10. Lorenzo Gai & Maria Cristina Arcuri & Federica Ielasi, 2023. "How does government-backed finance affect SMEs’ crisis predictors?," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 61(3), pages 1205-1229, October.
    11. Rossi, Emanuele & Bongini, Paola & Ferrando, Annalisa & Rossolini, Monica, 2017. "Suitable or non-suitable? An investigation of Eurozone SME access to market-based finance," CEPR Discussion Papers 12006, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    12. Honjo, Yuji & Kwak, Charee & Uchida, Hirofumi, 2022. "Initial funding and founders’ human capital: An empirical analysis using multiple surveys for start-up firms," Japan and the World Economy, Elsevier, vol. 63(C).
    13. Harrison, Richard & Li, Youwei & Vigne, Samuel A. & Wu, Yuliang, 2022. "Why do small businesses have difficulty in accessing bank financing?," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    14. Sumei Luo & Yuxi Zhang & Guangyou Zhou, 2018. "Financial Structure and Financing Constraints: Evidence on Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(6), pages 1-20, May.
    15. Mirgul Nizaeva & Ali Coskun, 2019. "Investigating the Relationship Between Financial Constraint and Growth of SMEs in South Eastern Europe," SAGE Open, , vol. 9(3), pages 21582440198, September.
    16. Simone Boccaletti & Annalisa Ferrando & Emanuele Rossi & Monica Rossolini, 2025. "European SMEs’ growth: the role of market-based finance and public financial support," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 64(2), pages 691-727, February.
    17. Slavec, Alenka & Prodan, Igor, 2012. "The influence of entrepreneur’s characteristics on small manufacturing firm debt financing," Journal of East European Management Studies, Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG, vol. 17(1), pages 104-130.
    18. Mariarosaria Agostino & Francesco Trivieri, 2017. "Collateral in lending relationships. A study on European SMEs microdata," International Review of Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 31(3), pages 339-356, May.
    19. Mohamed A. Elbannan & Omar Farooq, 2020. "Do more financing obstacles trigger tax avoidance behavior? Evidence from Indian SMEs," Journal of Economics and Finance, Springer;Academy of Economics and Finance, vol. 44(1), pages 161-178, January.
    20. Dongyang Zhang, 2017. "Is working capital management value-enhancing through alleviating financial constraints? Evidence from Chinese non-listed firms," Journal of Chinese Economic and Business Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 15(4), pages 373-406, October.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Financial development; SME finance; Bank and non-bank financial institutions; Legal system; Short term finance; Long term finance;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F65 - International Economics - - Economic Impacts of Globalization - - - Finance
    • G01 - Financial Economics - - General - - - Financial Crises
    • G21 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Banks; Other Depository Institutions; Micro Finance Institutions; Mortgages
    • G23 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Non-bank Financial Institutions; Financial Instruments; Institutional Investors
    • G31 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Capital Budgeting; Fixed Investment and Inventory Studies
    • K15 - Law and Economics - - Basic Areas of Law - - - Civil Law; Common Law

    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:eee:reveco:v:88:y:2023:i:c:p:981-1002. 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: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/inca/620165 .

    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.