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Small and vulnerable: SME productivity in the great productivity slowdown

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  • Chen, Sophia
  • Lee, Do

Abstract

We show that the TFP growth of European micro, small, and medium-sized firms (SMEs) diverged from large firms after the global financial crisis. The average postcrisis TFP growth of medium-sized, small, and micro firms was, respectively, 1.1, 2.9, and 5.4 percentage points lower than that of large firms. This SME productivity gap is larger for firms with more severe credit supply shocks. The gap is partially attributable to a larger postcrisis reduction in intangible capital at SMEs than at large firms. Horseraces suggest that SME indicators are more robust and more powerful predictors of postcrisis TFP growth than other indicators.

Suggested Citation

  • Chen, Sophia & Lee, Do, 2023. "Small and vulnerable: SME productivity in the great productivity slowdown," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 147(1), pages 49-74.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jfinec:v:147:y:2023:i:1:p:49-74
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jfineco.2022.09.007
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Credit constraint; Global financial crisis; Productivity; Intangible capital; SME;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E22 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Investment; Capital; Intangible Capital; Capacity
    • G32 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Financing Policy; Financial Risk and Risk Management; Capital and Ownership Structure; Value of Firms; Goodwill
    • L11 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Production, Pricing, and Market Structure; Size Distribution of Firms
    • O30 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - General
    • O47 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - Empirical Studies of Economic Growth; Aggregate Productivity; Cross-Country Output Convergence

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