Measures Of Financial Constraints Research Articles

Financial constraints, firm dynamics and productivity

ABSTRACT This paper studies the relationship between financial constraints, firm dynamics and productivity. Using Lithuanian firm-level data from 2000 to 2018, we construct a measure of financial constraints that elicits information from multiple balance-sheet variables. We estimate that a 1% fall in the average degree of financing constraints improves average productivity by 0.48%. Our results further uncover novel trends on the relationship of financial constraints and firm-age and size.

The nonlinear relationship between financial constraints and R&D investment: the mediating role of executive stock options

PurposeThe current study aims to investigate the mediating role of executive stock options in the nonlinear relationship between financial constraints and research and development (R&D) investment through two measures of financial constraints.Design/methodology/approachThis study is based on a sample of 90 French firms for the period extending from 2008 to 2020. The authors employ a panel threshold method to analyze whether the impact of financial constraints on R&D investment depends on the level of financial constraints or not.FindingsUsing SA index (Hadlock and Pierce, 2010) and FCP index (Schauer et al., 2019) as measures of financial constraints, the authors demonstrate that the relationship between financial constraints and R&D investment is nonlinear. Moreover, the authors find that executive stock options mediate partially the relationship between financial constraints and R&D investment. More specifically, the authors show that stock options could play two roles depending on the level of the financial constraints; inconsistent mediation for firms with low/medium level of financial constraints and partial mediation for highly constrained firms.Originality/valueThis paper is the first to the best of the authors' knowledge to investigate the nonlinear relationship between financial constraints and R&D investment as well as the mediating role of executive stock option using dynamic panel threshold models.

Economic policy uncertainty and access to finance: An international evidence

AbstractIn this study, we provide the first attempt to relate economic policy uncertainty (EPU) to firms' access to finance. Using data from 26 countries and the news‐based index from Baker et al. (2016), we provide evidence that EPU significantly increases financial constraints and decreases firms' access to finance. Our main inference is robust to alternative measures of financial constraints, alternative samples, alternative model specifications, and several approaches that control for potential endogeneity. We further show that the EPU‐financial constraint relationship is driven by both the demand and supply sides of financing. Additional analyses suggest that the impact of EPU on firms' financial constraints is moderated by board characteristics (i.e., gender diversity, independence, and duality). They also highlight the moderating roles of government effectiveness, the rule of law and control of corruption. Collectively, our findings provide novel theoretical and practical contributions in relation to EPU and the firms' setting.

Do firms that state they are financially constrained tend to reinvest more of their profits?

Firms in global surveys often state that access to finance is their primary obstacle to growth. However, merely stating that access to finance is an obstacle does not necessarily imply the firm is financially constrained. We examine the idea that firms facing external finance constraints should in theory reinvest profits more heavily, as some canonical models in financial economics predict. We test this prediction using global firm surveys from 2006 to 2019. We do not find such higher profit reinvestment among firms that state finance is their most important obstacle. This puzzling null finding is robust to alternative measures of profit reinvestment and many alternative confounders. In contrast to stated constraints, profit reinvestment is in fact higher for non-stated measures of financial constraints (e.g. younger or smaller firms, as well as firms in sectors with fewer tangible assets). Overall, our findings suggest that these self-assessments of a main obstacle might be due to other reasons, beyond access to funds that finance capital investment.

Do financial constraints affect the CEO stock options remuneration? Evidence from a panel threshold model

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the nonlinear relationship between financial constraints and the chief executive officer (CEO) stock options compensation and to analyze whether the impact of financial constraints on the CEO stock options compensation changes at certain level of financial constraints or not.Design/methodology/approachThis study is based on a sample of 90 French firms for the period extending from 2008 to 2019. To deal with the non-linearity, the authors use a panel threshold method.FindingsUsing different measures of financial constraints [KZ index (Baker et al., 2003), SA index (Hadlock and Pierce, 2010) and FCP index (Schauer et al., 2019)], the results reveal that the impact of the financial constraints (SA index and FCP index) is positive below the threshold value and it becomes negative above.Research limitations/implicationsThe non-linearity between financial constraints and CEO stock options shows that the level of financial constraints can be a major determinant of the CEO compensation structure. More specifically, this study sheds light on the key role played by the level of financial constraints and how this latter influence management decisions.Originality/valueThis paper is the first to the best of the authors' knowledge to examine the nonlinear relationship between financial constraints and the CEO stock options compensation using a panel threshold model.

The effect of accounting conservatism on measures of financial constraints

AbstractThis study examines the relationship between accounting conservatism and measures of financial status. We find that, in general, a higher level of accounting conservatism is associated with a lower level of financial constraints – thereby making external funds less costly. The results also show that for a firm with a higher bid‐ask spread or a higher likelihood of bankruptcy, this negative relationship between conservative financial reporting and financial constraints is intensified. In other words, a higher level of accounting conservatism is likely to make external funds less costly especially for those firms with a higher level of bid‐ask spread or a higher level of bankruptcy risk.

Nature of financial constraints and R&D intensity

• Firms tend to increase R&D intensity despite facing equity-focused constraints. • Firms facing debt-focused constraints reduce R&D intensity. • Unidimensional accounting-based measures of financial constraints fail to capture the true constraints. • The nature of a firm's financial constraints may influence its strategic investment decisions.

Finance, Gender, and Entrepreneurship: India’s Informal Sector Firms

How does informal economic activity respond to increased financial inclusion? Does it become more entrepreneurial? Does access to new financing options change the gender configuration of informal economic activity and, if so, in what ways and what directions? We take advantage of nationwide data collected in 2010/11 and 2015/16 by India’s National Sample Survey Office on unorganized (informal) enterprises. This period was one of rapid expansion of banking availability aimed particularly at the unbanked, under-banked, and women. We find strong empirical evidence supporting the crucial role of financial access in promoting entrepreneurship among informal sector firms in India. Our results are robust to alternative specifications and alternative measures of financial constraints using an approach combining propensity score matching and difference-in-differences. However, we do not find conclusive evidence that increased financial inclusion leads to a higher likelihood of women becoming entrepreneurs than men in the informal sector.

Meta‐analysis of the impact of financial constraints on firm performance

AbstractA large number of studies have investigated the relationship between financial constraints and firm performance. However, due to heterogeneity in study design factors, such as choice of measures for constraints and performance, control variables, estimation methods and study sample, the empirical results have been mixed. To mitigate this issue, this paper reports a meta‐analysis of the association between financial constraints and firm performance. To assess the overall direction of the relationship and the sources of heterogeneity, we apply meta‐analytic methods to 26 studies (providing 189 effect sizes) on the association between financial constraints and financial performance in listed companies. Our result shows that, overall, there is a positive relationship between financial constraints and firm performance. In addition, meta‐regression results suggest that return on assets (ROA) and return on equity (ROE) as measures of financial performance, and external finance and size as measures of financial constraints, have a significant negative impact on the relationship between financial constraints and firm performance relative to the mean impact on effect size. Similarly, all of North America and Asia as regional differences, control of size and corporate governance as control variables, and journal quality as strength of results, also have a significant negative impact. On the other hand, market value as a measure of financial performance, and the Whited & Wu index as a measure of financial constraints, have significant positive impact relative to the mean impact. Similarly, cross‐country and Europe as regional differences, and publication status as strength of results, all have significant positive impact. Given that firm performance is of fundamental importance to investors, this study therefore helps researchers and policymakers to understand the variation in the empirical results on the impact of financial constraints.

Credit bureaus and financial constraints do corruption matter?

ABSTRACT This study aims to assess whether or not the presence of credit bureaus is associated with more or fewer financing constraints while considering the interfering effect of corruption in a sample of 18 countries in Eastern Europe and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region during the period 2011–2014. We consider various financial constraint measures and corruption indices, and assess the stability of the relationship for different levels of economic development and corruption. The estimation outcomes suggest that countries with higher levels of corruption might produce less transparent and falsified information that would make access to sources of financing more difficult for firms. Our findings suggest that curbing corruption creates more efficient credit bureaus that, in turn, decrease financial constraints for firms. The subsample estimations confirm these findings and show that the higher and longer-term corruption in MENA countries than in Eastern European countries make credit bureaus’ less effective, imposing more financial constraints. Our findings remain robust with different corruption indices and with the addition of new control variables such as firms’ sales and size, government and exporting firms, and per-capita GDP, inflation, trade, population and human capital.

The role of financial constraint factors in predicting SME default

Research background: SMEs face financial constraints in their development, which limits their access to external funds, tightens their investment possibilities, and limits their growth. Much research effort has been devoted to understanding the nature and sources of this phenomenon. In sharp contrast to this, very little has been said about the role of these factors in explaining the default probability of these types of enterprises. Understanding such interrelationships could help to adopt policies to alleviate the situation of constrained SMEs and lower their default rates.
 Purpose of the article: This study analyses the role of financial constraint factors in SME defaults. This is done by utilising the financial constraint factors in a newly derived default prediction model. A comparison of the derived model and other SME default prediction models is carried out to assess the potential of financial constraints in the discrimination power of the model.
 Methods: In this study, we use the Cox semiparametric model, while leaving the baseline hazard rate unspecified and employing macroeconomic variables as explanatory variables. The discrimination power was addressed in terms of the area under the curve (AUC), resulting in out-of-sample testing. The DeLong test was used to compare the AUC of the created and analysed models. The model was estimated on a set of over 213,731 SMEs from 28 counties, covering the period 2014?2019.
 Findings & value added: It was found that adopting the financial constraint measures can explain the default of small and medium enterprises with high accuracy; however, they do not explain the default of micro enterprises.

Financial heterogeneity and the dynamics of credit rationing in Japan

ABSTRACT A perceptual gap between banks and firms exists in Japan, preventing the credit channel of monetary policy. Banks believe that bankable customers are scarce, while firms believe that banks do not issue loans without collateral or guarantees. To explain this gap, I focus on the dispersion in the degree of financial constraints across listed Japanese firms from FY1991 to FY2019. I construct a firm-specific and time-varying measure of financial constraints through the structural estimation, and investigate its distribution over time. The results reveal a right-skewed distribution for the index of financial constraints, indicating that many firms face minor financial constraints, while a few face severe financial constraints. The spread between the 75th and 25th percentiles of the index of financial constraints increased after the bubble burst, indicating that Japan’s financial heterogeneity has recently become outstanding. Finally, decomposing financial heterogeneity into within – and between-industry effects shows that the observed financial inequality is due to the increase in inequality among firms within narrowly defined industries.

Multidimensionality of text based financial constraints and working capital management

Using a novel text-based measure of financial constraints and primarily employing firm fixed-effect model, we find that financial constraints have a significantly negative association with cash conversion cycle (CCC), implying that financially constrained firms have a higher level of working capital management efficiency. In order to get a deeper insight, we consider two distinct dimensions, − ‘growth oriented’ and ‘contractual-obligation oriented’ financial constraints - and re-examine the relationship with CCC and its components. We find that firms facing growth oriented (contractual-obligation oriented) financial constraints have shorter (longer) CCC. It appears that compared to contractual-obligation oriented financially constrained firms, growth-oriented constrained firms receive more favorable treatments from their suppliers (longer payable period) as well as from their customers (shorter receivable period) - leading to a lower CCC. On the other hand, contractual-obligation oriented financially constrained firms have a longer inventory period, resulting in a longer CCC.

Financial Heterogeneity and the Dynamics of Credit Rationing in Japan

A perceptual gap between banks and firms exists in Japan, preventing the credit channel of monetary policy. Banks believe that bankable customers are scarce, while firms believe that banks do not issue loans without collateral or guarantees. To explain this gap, I focus on the dispersion in the degree of financial constraints across listed Japanese firms from FY1991 to FY2015. I construct a firm-specific and time-varying measure of financial constraints through the structural estimation, and investigate its distribution over time. The results reveal a right-skewed distribution for the index of financial constraints, indicating that many firms face minor financial constraints, while a few face severe financial constraints. The spread between the 75th and 25th percentiles of the index of financial constraints increased after the bubble burst, indicating that Japan's financial heterogeneity is becoming outstanding recently. Finally, decomposing financial heterogeneity into within- and between-industry effects shows that the observed financial inequality is due to the increase in inequality among firms within narrowly defined industries.

The exports–exchange rate volatility nexus in Pakistan: do financial constraints and financial development matter?

PurposeThis paper first examines how changes in the real effective exchange rate and its volatility affect the exporting activities of firms. Next, it investigates whether exchange rate volatility (EXRV) affects the export behavior of financially constrained and unconstrained firms differently. Finally, it examines the role of financial development in mitigating the effects of EXRV and financial constraints on firms' exports.Design/methodology/approachThe empirical analysis of the paper is based on a wide panel of Pakistani nonfinancial firms listed at the Pakistan Stock Exchange during the period 2001–2016. To mitigate the problem of endogeneity and to take into account the dynamic nature of the empirical model, the authors apply the robust two-step system-GMM estimator developed by Blundell and Bond (1998). To examine the role of credit constraints, firm-year observations are sorted as financially constrained and unconstrained based on the median value of three alternative measures: the liquidity ratio, the dividend payout ratio and the Whited and Wu (WW) index.FindingsThe results reveal that an increase in the real effective exchange rate has a positive and significant impact on firms' exports. However, the results show that the EXRV is significantly and negatively related to exporting decisions, suggesting firms considerably decrease their exports during periods of increased unpredictable variations in exchange rates. The findings also suggest that compared to financially constrained firms, the adverse effect of EXRV on exports is weaker for financially unconstrained firms. This finding implies that firm-level financial constraints unfavorably impact exports by making exporting more sensitive to the EXRV. Finally, the findings indicate that financial development not only positively affects firms' exports but also plays a vital role in declining the adverse effects of EXRV on firm-level exports. Specifically, the results show that financial development decreases the negative impact of EXRV on exports for both financially constrained and unconstrained firms. However, the moderating role of financial sector development is higher for financially unconstrained firms.Research limitations/implicationsNotwithstanding that the authors present robust and strong empirical evidence of the effects of EXRV on exporting and on the role of both firm-level financial constraints and financial sector development in formulating these effects, there are some limitations of the study. The authors use a single proxy for measuring financial sector development. However, one may construct an index for the financial sector developed using principal component analysis (PCA) by considering different measures of financial development. The authors use three different measures of financial constraints. Nonetheless, more sophisticated techniques such as switching regression can be used to endogenously determine whether firms are financially constrained. Moreover, an examination of the asymmetric effects of EXRV on exporting across different industries would also be worthwhile.Practical implicationsFrom a policy point of view, the results suggest that the development of the financial sector and the strategies to lessen credit constraints faced by firms will help in mitigating the adverse effects of the EXRV on the exporting behavior of firms in Pakistan. The findings also suggest that managers in financially constrained firms should apply appropriate hedging strategies to hedge exchange rate risks. Finally, the findings suggest that investors should take into consideration exchange rate dynamics and firms' financial constraints while investing in exporting firms' stocks.Social implicationsSince the findings suggest that financially constrained firms' exports are more exposed to EXRV, managers of such exporting firms are suggested to apply effective and suitable currency risk-minimizing hedging instruments for enhancing their exports. The government should also implement economic and financial policies in such a way that they should help in reducing volatilities of exchange rates and in turn, encouraging firms to export more. Definitely, any policy, at both government and firm level, favoring exporting and export-oriented growth will not only help in overcoming the problem of a persistent and wide trade deficit but also help society by providing more employment and investment opportunities.Originality/valueRecently, Pakistan has experienced significant declines in foreign reserves, persistent political unrest and enlarged trade deficits. All these have increased the uncertainty about the exchange rate. Therefore, it is valuable to know the EXRV effects on firms' exporting activities. Second, Pakistani firms face more financial constraints, and thus, the influence of financial constraints in formulating the volatility effects on exporting would be worth exploring. Finally, no research has yet taken place to scrutinize the role of financial development in mitigating the adverse effects of EXRV and financial constraints on exporting activities. This paper provides firsthand empirical evidence on the role of financial constraints and financial sector development in formulating the EXRV impacts on firm-level exports in Pakistan.

Managerial ability, financial constraints, and the value of cash holding

ABSTRACT We find that a skilful CEO, who persistently performs well over several years, can reduce a firm’s financial constraints. Our finding is robust to an instrumental variable regression, different definitions of a skilful CEO, and alternative measures of financial constraints. Further, we provide evidence that skilful managers improve the value of their firms’ cash holdings. Thus, this study contributes to the literature by exploring a potential bright side of managerial ability.

Financial constraints and cross-listing

We examine whether alleviating financial constraints is one of the motives for non-U.S. firms to cross-list in stock markets in the United States. Using payout ratio, payout level, and WW index (Whited and Wu, 2006) as measures of financial constraints, we find that firms with higher financial constraints are more likely to cross-list in the U.S. This pattern is driven by small firms, which tend to be financially constrained. After firms cross-list, they significantly increase their payout ratio and payout level. Small firms have more increases in payouts than large firms. WW index decreases for small firms after cross-listing. Tests about cash flow sensitivities of cash also suggest that the decline in financial constraints is more significant for small firms. Overall the results suggest that relief from financial constraints may be an important motive for cross-listing, especially for small firms.

Financing constraints and exports: evidence from India

This paper investigates the effect of financing constraints on the extensive and intensive margins of exports using a rich firm-level data on Indian manufacturing firms. Following the literature, we adopt liquidity ratio and leverage ratio as the measures of financing constraints and control for other firm-level factors. Controlling for initial conditions, endogeneity, and selection bias, we find that financing constraints have a significant impact on the extensive margin of exports. Using Propensity Score Matching –Differences in Differences approach, we find significant post-entry effects of exports on firm financial performance.

Financial constraints and the export decision of Pakistani firms

AbstractThe payment of sunk costs associated with the entry to foreign export markets highlights the significance of financial dimension in the firm decision. The sunk costs become a challenge for the financially constrained firms. In this paper, we study the relationship between financial constraints and the export entry decision of the firms in a lower‐middle income country context. We use new measures of financial constraints in finance literature alongside widely used measures of financial health in trade literature to scrutinise the relationship for Pakistani listed manufacturing firms. We find that being less financially constrained is a vital determinant of the Pakistani firms' export participation decision irrespective the high firm leverage before entry. The undeveloped financial system and heavy reliance on bank loans for external finance in Pakistan may be the plausible explanations for our findings. Our results suggest that measures of financial constraints are more appropriate than the widely used measures of financial health in studying the determinants of the export participation decision. In addition, we find evidence that future exporters improve their financial conditions prior to entering the export markets. However, we do not find any evidence that exporting improves financial conditions of the firms after entry.

Access to Finance, Financial Development and Firm Performance – Evidence from Pakistan

Purpose- The aim of the study is to investigate the impact of financial constraints on firm performance. The role of financial development in reducing financial constraints is also investigated. Design/methodology/approach- Data from two waves of World Bank Enterprise Surveys from 2007 to 2013 was used to construct the required variables. A balanced sample of 427 firms was selected and a fixed-effect model was used for empirical estimations.
 Findings- The findings indicate the significance of access to finance in terms of explaining firm performance. Improvement in access to finance led to subsequent improvement in firm performance as measured by labour productivity. The role of financial development in reducing credit constraints is not as expected. The concentration of lending to the private sector in the hands of large corporations at the expense of small and medium enterprises could be the reason for such a result.
 Originality/value – Most of the work in this area is focused on large listed firms. The present study focused primarily on small and medium-sized enterprises in Pakistan. Multiple measures of financial constraints and firm performance were used for robustness. The investigation also covers the role of financial development and its microeconomic implications at the level of an enterprise.