IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/kap/sbusec/v60y2023i4d10.1007_s11187-022-00673-y.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Spatial variations in financial constraints of SMEs—evidence from firm-level estimates of investment-cash flow sensitivities in Sweden

Author

Listed:
  • Martin Andersson

    (Blekinge Institute of Technology
    Swedish Entrepreneurship Forum
    Lund University)

  • Johan E. Eklund

    (Blekinge Institute of Technology
    Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Southern Sweden
    Jönköping University)

  • Alexandra Tsvetkova

    (OECD Trento Centre for Local Development)

Abstract

It is well established that there is uneven availability of credit across space, in particular for SMEs. The evidence on whether this translates into differences in actual business investments remains scarce. We assess this question by using firm-level data for Swedish firms and estimate the extent to which the average investment-cash flow sensitivities of firms vary across the urban–rural hierarchy. We find that the world of financing is not yet flat for the majority of Swedish SMEs. Companies located in non-metro regions are most dependent on own cash flow in their investments. The results hold for all firms, firms of different sizes, firms operating in low-end services, unaffiliated firms and those belonging to domestic corporations. In contrast, investment-cash flow sensitivity of firms operating in high-tech services and those belonging to a multinational enterprise does not differ geographically. On average, regional investment-cash flow sensitivity is lower in bigger, denser and more educated local labour market regions; it is higher in regions with greater concentration of SMEs.

Suggested Citation

  • Martin Andersson & Johan E. Eklund & Alexandra Tsvetkova, 2023. "Spatial variations in financial constraints of SMEs—evidence from firm-level estimates of investment-cash flow sensitivities in Sweden," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 60(4), pages 1683-1698, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:sbusec:v:60:y:2023:i:4:d:10.1007_s11187-022-00673-y
    DOI: 10.1007/s11187-022-00673-y
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11187-022-00673-y
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s11187-022-00673-y?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. Mark Heil, 2017. "Finance and productivity: A literature review," OECD Economics Department Working Papers 1374, OECD Publishing.
    2. Fritsch, Michael & Wyrwich, Michael, 2021. "Is innovation (increasingly) concentrated in large cities? An international comparison," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 50(6).
    3. Stewart C. Myers & Nicholas S. Majluf, 1984. "Corporate Financing and Investment Decisions When Firms Have InformationThat Investors Do Not Have," NBER Working Papers 1396, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    4. Myers, Stewart C. & Majluf, Nicholas S., 1984. "Corporate financing and investment decisions when firms have information that investors do not have," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 13(2), pages 187-221, June.
    5. Michael Fritsch & Michael Wyrwich, 2021. "Does Successful Innovation Require Large Urban Areas? Germany as a Counterexample," Economic Geography, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 97(3), pages 284-308, May.
    6. Tianshu Zhao & Dylan Jones-Evans, 2017. "SMEs, banks and the spatial differentiation of access to finance," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 17(4), pages 791-824.
    7. Neil Lee & Emma Drever, 2014. "Do SMEs in deprived areas find it harder to access finance? Evidence from the UK Small Business Survey," Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 26(3-4), pages 337-356, May.
    8. Annalisa Ferrando & Alessandro Ruggieri, 2018. "Financial constraints and productivity: Evidence from euro area companies," International Journal of Finance & Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 23(3), pages 257-282, July.
    9. Khurana, Inder K. & Martin, Xiumin & Pereira, Raynolde, 2006. "Financial Development and the Cash Flow Sensitivity of Cash," Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 41(4), pages 787-808, December.
    10. Peter Gal & Jagoda Egeland, 2018. "Reducing regional disparities in productivity in the United Kingdom," OECD Economics Department Working Papers 1456, OECD Publishing.
    11. R. Glenn Hubbard, 1998. "Capital-Market Imperfections and Investment," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 36(1), pages 193-225, March.
    12. Fazzari, Steven M & Hubbard, R Glenn & Petersen, Bruce C, 1988. "Investment, Financing Decisions, and Tax Policy," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 78(2), pages 200-205, May.
    13. Beck, Thorsten & Demirgüç-Kunt, Asli & Singer, Dorothe, 2013. "Is Small Beautiful? Financial Structure, Size and Access to Finance," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 19-33.
    14. Elisa Ughetto & Marc Cowling & Neil Lee, 2019. "Regional and spatial issues in the financing of small and medium-sized enterprises and new ventures," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 53(5), pages 617-619, May.
    15. 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.
    16. Anders Kärnä & Agostino Manduchi & Andreas Stephan, 2021. "Distance still matters: Local bank closures and credit availability," International Review of Finance, International Review of Finance Ltd., vol. 21(4), pages 1503-1510, December.
    17. Mitchell A. Petersen & Raghuram G. Rajan, 2002. "Does Distance Still Matter? The Information Revolution in Small Business Lending," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 57(6), pages 2533-2570, December.
    18. Giannetti, Mariassunta, 2003. "Do Better Institutions Mitigate Agency Problems? Evidence from Corporate Finance Choices," Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 38(1), pages 185-212, March.
    19. Mikaela Backman & Tina Wallin, 2018. "Access to banks and external capital acquisition: perceived innovation obstacles," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 61(1), pages 161-187, July.
    20. Ross Brown & José Liñares-Zegarra & John O. S. Wilson, 2019. "Sticking it on plastic: credit card finance and small and medium-sized enterprises in the UK," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 53(5), pages 630-643, May.
    21. Martin Andersson & Johan E. Eklund & Alexandra Tsvetkova, 2020. "The geography of Swedish SMEs’ investments: Financial constraints across the urban-rural hierarchy in a wealthy country with low regional disparities," OECD Regional Development Working Papers 2020/06, OECD Publishing.
    22. Luca Grilli, 2019. "There must be an angel? Local financial markets, business angels and the financing of innovative start-ups," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 53(5), pages 620-629, May.
    23. Mulier, Klaas & Schoors, Koen & Merlevede, Bruno, 2016. "Investment-cash flow sensitivity and financial constraints: Evidence from unquoted European SMEs," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 182-197.
    24. Hoai-Luu Q. Nguyen, 2019. "Are Credit Markets Still Local? Evidence from Bank Branch Closings," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 11(1), pages 1-32, January.
    25. Neil Lee & Davide Luca, 2019. "The big-city bias in access to finance: evidence from firm perceptions in almost 100 countries," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 19(1), pages 199-224.
    26. Derek Eldridge & Tahir M. Nisar & Mariateresa Torchia, 2021. "What impact does equity crowdfunding have on SME innovation and growth? An empirical study," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 56(1), pages 105-120, January.
    27. Steven N. Kaplan & Luigi Zingales, 1997. "Do Investment-Cash Flow Sensitivities Provide Useful Measures of Financing Constraints?," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 112(1), pages 169-215.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. Naeem, Kashif & Li, Matthew C., 2019. "Corporate investment efficiency: The role of financial development in firms with financing constraints and agency issues in OECD non-financial firms," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 53-68.
    2. Brahima Coulibaly & Jonathan N. Millar, 2008. "The Asian financial crisis, uphill flow of capital, and global imbalances: evidence from a micro study," International Finance Discussion Papers 942, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.).
    3. Shi, Jinyan & Yang, Jianheng & Li, Yanxi, 2020. "Does supply network location affect corporate investment efficiency?," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 51(C).
    4. José Manuel Mansilla-Fernández & Juliette Milgram-Baleix, 2023. "Working capital management, financial constraints and exports: evidence from European and US manufacturers," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 64(4), pages 1769-1810, April.
    5. Ann E. Harrison & Inessa Love & Margaret S. McMillan, 2022. "Global capital flows and financing constraints," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: Globalization, Firms, and Workers, chapter 8, pages 181-213, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    6. Bu, Ya & Du, Xin & Wang, Yuting & Liu, Shuyu & Tang, Min & Li, Hui, 2024. "Digital inclusive finance: A lever for SME financing?," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 93(C).
    7. Gül, Selçuk & Taştan, Hüseyin, 2020. "The impact of monetary policy stance, financial conditions, and the GFC on investment-cash flow sensitivity," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 692-707.
    8. Alfonsina Iona, 2019. "Modelling the Relation between Managers, Shadow Cost of External Finance and Corporate Investment," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 7(11), pages 1-10, November.
    9. Xinxin Zhao & Zongjun Wang & Min Deng, 2019. "Interest Rate Marketization, Financing Constraints and R&D Investments: Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(8), pages 1-17, April.
    10. Abed Al‐Nasser Abdallah & Wissam Abdallah & Mohsen Saad, 2020. "Institutional characteristics, investment sensitivity to cash flow and Tobin's q: Evidence from the Middle East and North Africa region," International Finance, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 23(2), pages 324-339, August.
    11. Koo, Jaewoon & Maeng, Kyunghee, 2005. "The effect of financial liberalization on firms' investments in Korea," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 16(2), pages 281-297, April.
    12. Malik, Muhammad Farhan & Nowland, John & Buckby, Sherrena, 2021. "Voluntary adoption of board risk committees and financial constraints risk," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 73(C).
    13. Kusnadi, Yuanto & Wei, K.C. John, 2011. "The determinants of corporate cash management policies: Evidence from around the world," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 17(3), pages 725-740, June.
    14. Vijayakumaran, Ratnam, 2021. "Impact of managerial ownership on investment and liquidity constraints: Evidence from Chinese listed companies," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 55(C).
    15. Günay, Hüseyin & Kılınç, Mustafa, 2015. "Credit market imperfections and business cycle asymmetries in Turkey," Journal of Empirical Finance, Elsevier, vol. 34(C), pages 79-98.
    16. Sevcan Yesiltas, 2009. "Financing Constraints and Investment: The Case of Turkish Manufacturing Firms," 2009 Meeting Papers 874, Society for Economic Dynamics.
    17. Audretsch, David B. & Weigand, Jurgen, 2005. "Do knowledge conditions make a difference?: Investment, finance and ownership in German industries," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 34(5), pages 595-613, June.
    18. Cafer Kaplan & Erdal Ozmen & Cihan Yalcin, 2006. "The Determinants and Implications of Financial Asset Holdings of Non-Financial Firms in Turkey : An Emprical Investigation," Working Papers 0606, Research and Monetary Policy Department, Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey.
    19. Laeven, Luc, 2000. "Does financial liberalization relax financing constraints on firms ?," Policy Research Working Paper Series 2467, The World Bank.
    20. Dirk Czarnitzki & Hanna Hottenrott & Susanne Thorwarth, 2011. "Industrial research versus development investment: the implications of financial constraints," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 35(3), pages 527-544.

    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:kap:sbusec:v:60:y:2023:i:4:d:10.1007_s11187-022-00673-y. 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: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    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.