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Perceived credit constraints in the European Union

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Listed:
  • Erik Canton
  • Isabel Grilo
  • Josefa Monteagudo
  • Peter Zwan

Abstract

The promotion and support of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) is an essential component of policies designed to help improve Europe’s economic performance. A crucial issue is whether SMEs face difficulty obtaining bank loans. Using pre-crisis survey data from 2005 and 2006 for nearly 3,500 SMEs (firms with fewer than 250 employees) in the European Union (EU), we investigate the determinants of perceived bank loan accessibility at the firm level and at the country level. Based on hierarchical (multi-level) binomial logit regressions, our findings show that the youngest and smallest SMEs have the worst perception of access to bank loans. The SMEs in nations with concentrated banking sectors are more positive about loan accessibility. In addition, a high fraction of foreign-owned banks is associated with improved perception of loan accessibility in the EU 15 but not in the EU 10. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media New York 2013

Suggested Citation

  • Erik Canton & Isabel Grilo & Josefa Monteagudo & Peter Zwan, 2013. "Perceived credit constraints in the European Union," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 41(3), pages 701-715, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:sbusec:v:41:y:2013:i:3:p:701-715
    DOI: 10.1007/s11187-012-9451-y
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Bank loans; Money supply; SMEs; Credit constraints; Concentration index; Multi-level; E44; E51; G15; G21;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E44 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Money and Interest Rates - - - Financial Markets and the Macroeconomy
    • E51 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Monetary Policy, Central Banking, and the Supply of Money and Credit - - - Money Supply; Credit; Money Multipliers
    • G15 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - International Financial Markets
    • G21 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Banks; Other Depository Institutions; Micro Finance Institutions; Mortgages

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