IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/ecolet/v243y2024ics0165176524003823.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Financial literacy and borrower discouragement

Author

Listed:
  • Aristei, David
  • Gallo, Manuela
  • Minetti, Raoul

Abstract

This study provides first empirical evidence on the impact of entrepreneurs’ financial literacy on borrower discouragement. Using novel survey data on Italian micro-enterprises, we find that less financially knowledgeable entrepreneurs are more likely to be discouraged from applying for new financing, especially due to higher application costs. Our results are robust to several sensitivity checks, including accounting for potential endogeneity. Furthermore, we show that the observed self-rationing mechanism is rather inefficient, suggesting that financial literacy might play a key role in reducing credit market imperfections.

Suggested Citation

  • Aristei, David & Gallo, Manuela & Minetti, Raoul, 2024. "Financial literacy and borrower discouragement," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 243(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecolet:v:243:y:2024:i:c:s0165176524003823
    DOI: 10.1016/j.econlet.2024.111898
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0165176524003823
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.econlet.2024.111898?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. Annamaria Lusardi & Olivia S. Mitchell, 2023. "The Importance of Financial Literacy: Opening a New Field," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 37(4), pages 137-154, Fall.
    2. Balana, Bedru B. & Mekonnen, Dawit & Haile, Beliyou & Hagos, Fitsum & Yimam, Seid & Ringler, Claudia, 2022. "Demand and supply constraints of credit in smallholder farming: Evidence from Ethiopia and Tanzania," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 159(C).
    3. Annamaria Lusardi & Olivia S. Mitchell, 2014. "The Economic Importance of Financial Literacy: Theory and Evidence," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 52(1), pages 5-44, March.
    4. Xu, Nana & Shi, Jingye & Rong, Zhao & Yuan, Yan, 2020. "Financial literacy and formal credit accessibility: Evidence from informal businesses in China," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 36(C).
    5. Kon, Y & Storey, D J, 2003. "A Theory of Discouraged Borrowers," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 21(1), pages 37-49, August.
    6. Stuart Fraser, 2014. "Back to borrowing? perspectives on the ‘Arc of Discouragement’," White Papers 0008, Enterprise Research Centre.
    7. Alessio D'Ignazio & Paolo Finaldi Russo & Massimiliano Stacchini, 2022. "Micro-entrepreneurs’ financial and digital competences during the pandemic in Italy," Questioni di Economia e Finanza (Occasional Papers) 724, Bank of Italy, Economic Research and International Relations Area.
    8. Levenson, Alec R & Willard, Kristen L, 2000. "Do Firms Get the Financing They Want? Measuring Credit Rationing Experienced by Small Business in the U.S," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 14(2), pages 83-94, March.
    9. Fraser,Stuart, 2019. "Impact: Entrepreneurial Borrowing: Do Entrepreneurs Seek and Receive Enough Credit?," Foundations and Trends(R) in Entrepreneurship, now publishers, vol. 15(5-6), pages 431–663-4, December.
    10. Cole, Rebel & Sokolyk, Tatyana, 2016. "Who needs credit and who gets credit? Evidence from the surveys of small business finances," Journal of Financial Stability, Elsevier, vol. 24(C), pages 40-60.
    11. Naegels, Vanessa & Mori, Neema & D'Espallier, Bert, 2022. "The process of female borrower discouragement," Emerging Markets Review, Elsevier, vol. 50(C).
    12. Stiglitz, Joseph E & Weiss, Andrew, 1981. "Credit Rationing in Markets with Imperfect Information," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 71(3), pages 393-410, June.
    13. Reto Wernli & Andreas Dietrich, 2022. "Only the brave: improving self-rationing efficiency among discouraged Swiss SMEs," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 59(3), pages 977-1003, October.
    14. Ferrando, Annalisa & Mulier, Klaas, 2022. "The real effects of credit constraints: Evidence from discouraged borrowers," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 73(C).
    15. Tullio Jappelli, 1990. "Who is Credit Constrained in the U. S. Economy?," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 105(1), pages 219-234.
    16. Hang Thu Nguyen & Hiep Manh Nguyen & Michael Troege & Anh T. H. Nguyen, 2021. "Debt aversion, education, and credit self-rationing in SMEs," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 57(3), pages 1125-1143, October.
    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. Osei-Tutu, Francis & Weill, Laurent, 2023. "Individualism reduces borrower discouragement," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 211(C), pages 370-385.
    2. Szabó, Zsolt, 2019. "Elbátortalanodott hiteligénylők a vállalati szektorban [Discouraged borrowers in the corporate sector]," Közgazdasági Szemle (Economic Review - monthly of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences), Közgazdasági Szemle Alapítvány (Economic Review Foundation), vol. 0(11), pages 1145-1186.
    3. Kallandranis, Christos & Anastasiou, Dimitrios & Drakos, Konstantinos, 2023. "Credit rationing prevalence for Eurozone firms," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).
    4. Bertrand, Jérémie & Mazza, Paolo, 2022. "Borrowers’ discouragement and creditor information," International Review of Law and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).
    5. Riccardo Calcagno & Paolo Finaldi Russo & Ludovica Galotto & Anita Quas, 2024. "Financial literacy of micro-entrepreneurs and access to credit," Questioni di Economia e Finanza (Occasional Papers) 853, Bank of Italy, Economic Research and International Relations Area.
    6. Chala, Alemu Tulu & Forssbaeck, Jens, 2018. "Does Collateral Reduce Loan-Size Credit Rationing? Survey Evidence," Working Papers 2018:36, Lund University, Department of Economics.
    7. Bertrand, Jérémie & Delanghe, Marieke & Klein, Paul-Olivier, 2023. "Does relationship lending help firms to ask for credit? European cross-country evidence," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 124(C).
    8. Désiré Avom & Cherif Abdramane, 2024. "Why are small and medium-sized businesses in Africa turning away from the bank credit market?," SN Business & Economics, Springer, vol. 4(7), pages 1-24, July.
    9. Pigini, Claudia & Presbitero, Andrea F. & Zazzaro, Alberto, 2016. "State dependence in access to credit," Journal of Financial Stability, Elsevier, vol. 27(C), pages 17-34.
    10. Mustafa Caglayan & Oleksandr Talavera & Lin Xiong & Jing Zhang, 2022. "What does not kill us makes us stronger: the story of repetitive consumer loan applications," The European Journal of Finance, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 28(1), pages 46-65, January.
    11. Gabriele Angori & David Aristei, 2020. "Heterogeneity and state dependence in firms’ access to credit: Microevidence from the euro area," SEEDS Working Papers 0220, SEEDS, Sustainability Environmental Economics and Dynamics Studies, revised Feb 2020.
    12. Reto Wernli & Andreas Dietrich, 2022. "Only the brave: improving self-rationing efficiency among discouraged Swiss SMEs," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 59(3), pages 977-1003, October.
    13. Marc Cowling & Weixi Liu & Raffaella Calabrese, 2022. "Has previous loan rejection scarred firms from applying for loans during Covid-19?," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 59(4), pages 1327-1350, December.
    14. Kallandranis, Christos & Drakos, Konstantinos, 2021. "Self-Rationing in European Businesses: Evidence from Survey Analysis," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 41(C).
    15. Koomson, Isaac & Annim, Samuel Kobina & Peprah, James Atta, 2014. "Loan Refusal, Household Income and Savings in Ghana," MPRA Paper 58049, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    16. Boris F. Blumberg & Wilko A. Letterie, 2008. "Business Starters and Credit Rationing," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 30(2), pages 187-200, February.
    17. Demoussis, Michael & Drakos, Konstantinos & Giannakopoulos, Nicholas, 2016. "The Impact of Sovereign Ratings on Eurozone SMEs Credit Rationing," MPRA Paper 76364, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    18. Ross Brown & José M. Liñares-Zegarra & John O.S. Wilson, 2022. "Innovation and borrower discouragement in SMEs," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 59(4), pages 1489-1517, December.
    19. Naegels, Vanessa & Mori, Neema & D'Espallier, Bert, 2022. "The process of female borrower discouragement," Emerging Markets Review, Elsevier, vol. 50(C).
    20. Anastasiou, Dimitris & Krokida, Styliani-Iris & Tsouknidis, Dimitris & Drakos, Konstantinos, 2023. "Can the tone of central bankers’ speeches discourage potential bank borrowers in the Eurozone?," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 139(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Borrower discouragement; Financial literacy; Self-rationing; Micro-enterprises;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G30 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - General
    • G32 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Financing Policy; Financial Risk and Risk Management; Capital and Ownership Structure; Value of Firms; Goodwill
    • G41 - Financial Economics - - Behavioral Finance - - - Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making in Financial Markets
    • G53 - Financial Economics - - Household Finance - - - Financial Literacy

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    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:eee:ecolet:v:243:y:2024:i:c:s0165176524003823. 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: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/ecolet .

    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.