Religion, national culture and cross-country differences in the use of trade credit

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether religion or national culture can explain previously observed cross-country variation in trade credit. Design/methodology/approach - Using the firm-level SME data from 35 European countries, religion and cultural factors of Hofstede and Schwartz, the authors provide new evidence on the determinants of the cross-country variation in trade credit. Findings - The results indicate that religion and national culture are associated with trade credit. The authors find that the levels of trade credit are higher in Catholic countries than in Protestant ones and that peoples’ religiousness has an impact on trade credit only in Catholic countries. The authors also find that Hofstede’s cultural dimensions, such as power distance and uncertainty avoidance, are positively associated with trade credit. Practical implications - Overall, authors’ findings indicate that religion and national culture are important determinants of trade credit management, and that the association between commonly used cultural values and trade credit depends on the religious, legal, and financial environment. Originality/value - To the best of authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to research the relationship between national culture and trade credit.