Finance and Growth for Microenterprises: Evidence from Rural China

Beck, T., Liping, L. & Yang, R. (2015). Finance and Growth for Microenterprises: Evidence from Rural China. World Development, 67, pp. 38-56. doi: 10.1016/j.worlddev.2014.10.008

Abstract

Using a survey dataset of Chinese rural households, we find that access to external finance is positively associated with the decision to become entrepreneur and the initial investment for microenterprises. Also, we find that use of informal finance, especially financing from friends and family, is positively associated with sales growth of microenterprises with employees, but not of self-employed. We do not find any significant relationship between the use of formal finance and firm growth. Our findings underline the importance of finance for entrepreneurship and microenterprise growth, and the role of informal finance in the absence of efficient formal financial institutions.

Publication Type:	Article
Additional Information:	© 2015, Elsevier. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
Publisher Keywords:	finance; entrepreneurship; growth; China
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HG Finance
Departments:	Bayes Business School > Finance