The Impact of Corruption on SMEs’ Access to Finance : Evidence Using Firm-Level Survey Data from Developing Countries

The present paper estimates the impact of bureaucratic corruption on access to finance of small and medium-size enterprises in 114 developing countries. Corruption can hurt small and medium-size enterprises’ access to finance by lowering profits,...

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Main Authors: Amin, Mohammad, Motta, Vctor
Format: Working Paper
Language:English
Published: World Bank, Washington, DC 2021
Subjects:
Online Access:http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/undefined/935941634651569360/The-Impact-of-Corruption-on-SMEs-Access-to-Finance-Evidence-Using-Firm-Level-Survey-Data-from-Developing-Countries
http://hdl.handle.net/10986/36430
id okr-10986-36430
recordtype oai_dc
spelling okr-10986-364302021-10-29T05:10:46Z The Impact of Corruption on SMEs’ Access to Finance : Evidence Using Firm-Level Survey Data from Developing Countries Amin, Mohammad Motta, Vctor CORRUPTION SME FINANCE ACCESS TO FINANCE BRIBERY The present paper estimates the impact of bureaucratic corruption on access to finance of small and medium-size enterprises in 114 developing countries. Corruption can hurt small and medium-size enterprises’ access to finance by lowering profits, increasing credit demand, increasing bankruptcy chances, creating uncertainty about the firm’s future profit, and exacerbating the asymmetric information problem between borrowers and lenders. Consistent with this view, the findings show a large adverse effect of higher corruption on small and medium-size enterprises’ access to finance. An increase in corruption from its smallest to highest value increases the likelihood of small and medium-size enterprises being financially constrained from 6.9 to 10.9 percentage points. The analysis uncovers several heterogeneities in the corruption-finance relationship. For instance, the adverse effect of corruption on access to finance is much less in countries where financial institutions protect the rights of borrowers and lenders are stronger, laws provide for better credit information, and credit bureaus exist. The paper argues that these heterogeneities derive from the specific ways in which corruption impacts access to finance. Thus, they help to raise confidence against endogeneity concerns about the main results. Other heterogeneities uncovered suggest that corruption is more harmful to firms more that, absent corruption, are known to enjoy better access to finance, such as male versus female owned firms, relatively large firms, and better performing firms. The results have important policy implications for the growth of small and medium-size enterprises in the developing world. 2021-10-28T14:26:43Z 2021-10-28T14:26:43Z 2021-10 Working Paper http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/undefined/935941634651569360/The-Impact-of-Corruption-on-SMEs-Access-to-Finance-Evidence-Using-Firm-Level-Survey-Data-from-Developing-Countries http://hdl.handle.net/10986/36430 English Policy Research Working Paper;No. 9812 CC BY 3.0 IGO http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo World Bank World Bank, Washington, DC Publications & Research Publications & Research :: Policy Research Working Paper
repository_type Digital Repository
institution_category Foreign Institution
institution Digital Repositories
building World Bank Open Knowledge Repository
collection World Bank
language English
topic CORRUPTION
SME FINANCE
ACCESS TO FINANCE
BRIBERY
spellingShingle CORRUPTION
SME FINANCE
ACCESS TO FINANCE
BRIBERY
Amin, Mohammad
Motta, Vctor
The Impact of Corruption on SMEs’ Access to Finance : Evidence Using Firm-Level Survey Data from Developing Countries
relation Policy Research Working Paper;No. 9812
description The present paper estimates the impact of bureaucratic corruption on access to finance of small and medium-size enterprises in 114 developing countries. Corruption can hurt small and medium-size enterprises’ access to finance by lowering profits, increasing credit demand, increasing bankruptcy chances, creating uncertainty about the firm’s future profit, and exacerbating the asymmetric information problem between borrowers and lenders. Consistent with this view, the findings show a large adverse effect of higher corruption on small and medium-size enterprises’ access to finance. An increase in corruption from its smallest to highest value increases the likelihood of small and medium-size enterprises being financially constrained from 6.9 to 10.9 percentage points. The analysis uncovers several heterogeneities in the corruption-finance relationship. For instance, the adverse effect of corruption on access to finance is much less in countries where financial institutions protect the rights of borrowers and lenders are stronger, laws provide for better credit information, and credit bureaus exist. The paper argues that these heterogeneities derive from the specific ways in which corruption impacts access to finance. Thus, they help to raise confidence against endogeneity concerns about the main results. Other heterogeneities uncovered suggest that corruption is more harmful to firms more that, absent corruption, are known to enjoy better access to finance, such as male versus female owned firms, relatively large firms, and better performing firms. The results have important policy implications for the growth of small and medium-size enterprises in the developing world.
format Working Paper
author Amin, Mohammad
Motta, Vctor
author_facet Amin, Mohammad
Motta, Vctor
author_sort Amin, Mohammad
title The Impact of Corruption on SMEs’ Access to Finance : Evidence Using Firm-Level Survey Data from Developing Countries
title_short The Impact of Corruption on SMEs’ Access to Finance : Evidence Using Firm-Level Survey Data from Developing Countries
title_full The Impact of Corruption on SMEs’ Access to Finance : Evidence Using Firm-Level Survey Data from Developing Countries
title_fullStr The Impact of Corruption on SMEs’ Access to Finance : Evidence Using Firm-Level Survey Data from Developing Countries
title_full_unstemmed The Impact of Corruption on SMEs’ Access to Finance : Evidence Using Firm-Level Survey Data from Developing Countries
title_sort impact of corruption on smes’ access to finance : evidence using firm-level survey data from developing countries
publisher World Bank, Washington, DC
publishDate 2021
url http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/undefined/935941634651569360/The-Impact-of-Corruption-on-SMEs-Access-to-Finance-Evidence-Using-Firm-Level-Survey-Data-from-Developing-Countries
http://hdl.handle.net/10986/36430
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