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Informality and credit constraints: evidence from Sub-Saharan African MSEs

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  • Nirosha Hewa Wellalage
  • Stuart Locke

Abstract

The attributes of micro and small enterprises (MSEs) influencing access to credit, in particular the level and role of firm informality, are analysed in the article. The puzzle is the push for MSEs to join the formal sector and the tug to avoid the extra burden it places on the firm. It is important to know more clearly what forces are at work and the sources of the causal effects. This study uses data from the World Bank Enterprise Surveys for five low-income countries (LICs) in Sub-Saharan Africa. The method is empirical and as we find informality to be endogenous to credit constraints, an instrumental variable approach is estimated. Further, to address the possibility of reverse causality, an instrument for the informality variable is required; not registered with Inland Revenue (tax office) is the chosen instrument variable. The findings reveal that as the probability of a firm operating in the formal sector increases, there is greater access to external credit. The causality relationships are tested providing a strong platform for the formalization of polices to reduce the informality of the MSE sector. These are discussed in the context of the research findings.

Suggested Citation

  • Nirosha Hewa Wellalage & Stuart Locke, 2016. "Informality and credit constraints: evidence from Sub-Saharan African MSEs," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 48(29), pages 2756-2770, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:applec:v:48:y:2016:i:29:p:2756-2770
    DOI: 10.1080/00036846.2015.1128081
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    Cited by:

    1. Rodríguez-Lesmes, Paul & Gutierrez, Luis H. & Urueña-Mejia, Juan Carlos & Ortiz, Andres & Medina Rojas, Ivan & Romero, Mauricio, 2023. "The role of local promoters in helping microentrepreneurs engage in digital business training. The case of Expertienda," Documentos de Trabajo 20902, Universidad del Rosario.
    2. Wellalage, Nirosha & Locke, Stuart, 2017. "Access to credit by SMEs in South Asia: do women entrepreneurs face discrimination," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 336-346.
    3. Nirosha Hewa Wellalage & Stuart Locke & Helen Samujh, 2020. "Firm bribery and credit access: evidence from Indian SMEs," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 55(1), pages 283-304, June.
    4. Amin Karimu & Samuel Salia & Javed G. Hussain & Ishmael Tingbani, 2021. "Are competitive microfinance services worth regulating? Evidence from microfinance institutions in Sub‐Saharan Africa," International Journal of Finance & Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 26(1), pages 476-492, January.
    5. Abbas, Sadia & Adapa, Sujana & Sheridan, Alison & Azeem, Muhammad Masood, 2022. "Informal competition and firm level innovation in South Asia: The moderating role of innovation time off and R&D intensity," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 181(C).
    6. Amina Ika Micah, 2022. "Three essays on access to credit and financial shock in Nigeria," Economics PhD Theses 0422, Department of Economics, University of Sussex Business School.
    7. Thi Hong Hanh Pham, 2022. "Shadow Economy and Poverty: What Causes What?," The Journal of Economic Inequality, Springer;Society for the Study of Economic Inequality, vol. 20(4), pages 861-891, December.
    8. Agyekum, Francis K. & Reddy, Krishna & Wallace, Damien & Wellalage, Nirosha H., 2022. "Does technological inclusion promote financial inclusion among SMEs? Evidence from South-East Asian (SEA) countries," Global Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 53(C).
    9. Santiago Camara & Maximo Sangiacomo, 2022. "Borrowing Constraints in Emerging Markets," Papers 2211.10864, arXiv.org.
    10. Valentina A. Assenova & Olav Sorenson, 2017. "Legitimacy and the Benefits of Firm Formalization," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 28(5), pages 804-818, October.
    11. Amon Simba & Mahdi Tajeddin & Léo-Paul Dana & Domingo E. Ribeiro Soriano, 2024. "Deconstructing involuntary financial exclusion: a focus on African SMEs," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 62(1), pages 285-305, January.
    12. Sana Ullah & Colin C. Williams & Babur Wasim Arif, 2019. "The Impacts Of Informality On Enterprise Innovation, Survival And Performance: Some Evidence From Pakistan," Journal of Developmental Entrepreneurship (JDE), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 24(03), pages 1-19, September.
    13. Juan Carlos Urueña-Mejía & Luis H. Gutierrez & Paul Rodríguez-Lesmes, 2023. "Financial inclusion and business practices of microbusiness in Colombia," Eurasian Business Review, Springer;Eurasia Business and Economics Society, vol. 13(2), pages 465-494, June.
    14. Nirosha Hewa Wellalage & Stuart Locke & Helen Samujh, 2019. "Corruption, Gender and Credit Constraints: Evidence from South Asian SMEs," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 159(1), pages 267-280, September.
    15. Radeef Chundakkadan & Subash Sasidharan, 2022. "Gender gap and access to finance: A cross‐country analysis," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(1), pages 180-207, February.
    16. Ortiz, Santiago & Castelblanco, Geraldine & Mantilla, Cesar, 2020. "Perishability, dynamic pricing and price discrimination: evidence from flower markets in Bogotá," SocArXiv pv5kz, Center for Open Science.
    17. Li Tian & Jing Yu Yang & Jiatao Li, 2021. "Does legal registration help or hurt? The effect of government corruption on resource acquisition by nascent ventures in an emerging economy," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 38(2), pages 547-572, June.
    18. Arzi Adbi & Devanshee Shukla, 2023. "Registration at founding and firm performance: Generalization and extension replication from global data," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 54(2), pages 365-384, March.
    19. Francisco Díez-Martín & Alicia Blanco-González & Giorgia Miotto, 2022. "The impact of state legitimacy on entrepreneurial activity," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 18(2), pages 935-955, June.
    20. Andrea Floridi & Binyam Afewerk Demena & Natascha Wagner, 2022. "A Game Worth The Candle? Meta-Analysis Of The Effects Of Formalization On Firm Performance," Journal of Developmental Entrepreneurship (JDE), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 27(04), pages 1-27, December.
    21. Estevão, João & Lopes, José Dias & Penela, Daniela, 2022. "The importance of the business environment for the informal economy: Evidence from the Doing Business ranking," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 174(C).
    22. Carol Newman & John Rand & Mpho Tsebe, 2019. "Resource misallocation and total factor productivity: Manufacturing firms in South Africa," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2019-46, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    23. Dengjun Zhang, 2022. "Capacity utilization under credit constraints: A firm‐level study of Latin American manufacturing," International Journal of Finance & Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 27(1), pages 1367-1386, January.
    24. Hewa Wellalage, Nirosha & Hunjra, Ahmed Imran & Manita, Riadh & Locke, Stuart M., 2021. "Information communication technology and financial inclusion of innovative entrepreneurs," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 163(C).

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