IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/epolin/v51y2024i2d10.1007_s40812-024-00309-0.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Pandemic crisis and firm survival: evidence from the Italian manufacturing industry

Author

Listed:
  • Eleonora Cutrini

    (University of Macerata)

  • Federico Ninivaggi

    (University of Macerata)

Abstract

The paper studies the characteristics that affected firms’ ability to react to the economic crisis induced by the COVID-19 pandemic. We use firm-level data on Italian manufacturing companies to examine the role played by external relations and the characteristics of the local environment. In line with recent works, the study finds that micro-firms, highly indebted and less productive firms have a higher probability of exiting the market. Results also support the view that digital presence and financial soundness have favoured the survival of enterprises. Beyond firm-specific factors, we highlight that a firm’s resilience capability is related to its external linkages, namely the participation in a group or to a network contact. As for local ecosystem factors, while firms in industrial districts have a higher default probability, our results suggest that an innovative local environment can slightly mitigate the probability of permanently closing during the crisis.

Suggested Citation

  • Eleonora Cutrini & Federico Ninivaggi, 2024. "Pandemic crisis and firm survival: evidence from the Italian manufacturing industry," Economia e Politica Industriale: Journal of Industrial and Business Economics, Springer;Associazione Amici di Economia e Politica Industriale, vol. 51(2), pages 265-297, June.
  • Handle: RePEc:spr:epolin:v:51:y:2024:i:2:d:10.1007_s40812-024-00309-0
    DOI: 10.1007/s40812-024-00309-0
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s40812-024-00309-0
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s40812-024-00309-0?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. Didier, Tatiana & Huneeus, Federico & Larrain, Mauricio & Schmukler, Sergio L., 2021. "Financing firms in hibernation during the COVID-19 pandemic," Journal of Financial Stability, Elsevier, vol. 53(C).
    2. Maksim Belitski & Christina Guenther & Alexander S. Kritikos & Roy Thurik, 2022. "Economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on entrepreneurship and small businesses," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 58(2), pages 593-609, February.
    3. Silvia Muzi & Filip Jolevski & Kohei Ueda & Domenico Viganola, 2023. "Productivity and firm exit during the COVID-19 crisis: cross-country evidence," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 60(4), pages 1719-1760, April.
    4. Fabio Landini & Alessandro Arrighetti & Andrea Lasagni, 2020. "Economic crisis and firm exit: do intangibles matter?," Industry and Innovation, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 27(5), pages 445-479, May.
    5. Ron Martin & Peter Sunley & Ben Gardiner & Peter Tyler, 2016. "How Regions React to Recessions: Resilience and the Role of Economic Structure," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 50(4), pages 561-585, April.
    6. Buchheim, Lukas & Dovern, Jonas & Krolage, Carla & Link, Sebastian, 2022. "Sentiment and firm behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 195(C), pages 186-198.
    7. Wagner, Joachim, 1994. "The Post-entry Performance of New Small Firms in German Manufacturing Industries," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 42(2), pages 141-154, June.
    8. Miyakawa, Daisuke & Oikawa, Koki & Ueda, Kozo, 2021. "Firm Exit during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Evidence from Japan," Journal of the Japanese and International Economies, Elsevier, vol. 59(C).
    9. Rajeev K. Goel & Michael A. Nelson, 2023. "Global coronavirus business closures: influences of executive gender, firm characteristics, and government involvement," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 55(46), pages 5384-5402, October.
    10. Viral V Acharya & Sascha Steffen, 2020. "The Risk of Being a Fallen Angel and the Corporate Dash for Cash in the Midst of COVID," The Review of Corporate Finance Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 9(3), pages 430-471.
    11. Emanuele Brancati & Raffaele Brancati & Andrea Maresca, 2017. "Global value chains, innovation and performance: firm-level evidence from the Great Recession," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 17(5), pages 1039-1073.
    12. Amirah El-Haddad & Chahir Zaki, 2024. "Storm survivors: Evidence from firms in times of pandemic," The Journal of International Trade & Economic Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 33(2), pages 165-198, February.
    13. Fabio Sforzi & Rafael Boix, 2019. "Territorial servitization in Marshallian industrial districts: the industrial district as a place-based form of servitization," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 53(3), pages 398-409, March.
    14. Marco Cucculelli & Valentina Peruzzi, 2020. "Post-crisis firm survival, business model changes, and learning: evidence from the Italian manufacturing industry," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 54(2), pages 459-474, February.
    15. Kaya, Orcun, 2022. "Determinants and consequences of SME insolvency risk during the pandemic," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 115(C).
    16. Bańkowska, Katarzyna & Ferrando, Annalisa & García, Juan Angel, 2020. "The COVID-19 pandemic and access to finance for small and medium-sized enterprises: evidence from survey data," Economic Bulletin Boxes, European Central Bank, vol. 4.
    17. Lafuente, Esteban & Vaillant, Yancy & Vendrell-Herrero, Ferran, 2017. "Territorial servitization: Exploring the virtuous circle connecting knowledge-intensive services and new manufacturing businesses," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 192(C), pages 19-28.
    18. Tommaso Orlando & Giacomo Rodano, 2020. "Firm undercapitalization in Italy: business crisis and survival before and after COVID-19," Questioni di Economia e Finanza (Occasional Papers) 590, Bank of Italy, Economic Research and International Relations Area.
    19. Davide Antonioli & Sandro Montresor, 2021. "Innovation persistence in times of crisis: an analysis of Italian firms," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 56(4), pages 1739-1764, April.
    20. Julian Oliver Dörr & Georg Licht & Simona Murmann, 2022. "Small firms and the COVID-19 insolvency gap," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 58(2), pages 887-917, February.
    21. İbrahim Bozkurt & Muhammed Veysel Kaya, 2023. "Foremost features affecting financial distress and Bankruptcy in the acute stage of COVID-19 crisis," Applied Economics Letters, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 30(8), pages 1112-1123, May.
    22. Roberto Basile & Rosanna Pittiglio & Filippo Reganati, 2017. "Do agglomeration externalities affect firm survival?," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 51(4), pages 548-562, April.
    23. Robin Greenwood & Benjamin Iverson & David Thesmar, 2020. "Sizing up Corporate Restructuring in the COVID Crisis," NBER Working Papers 28104, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    24. Lisa De Propris & Dimitri Storai, 2019. "Servitizing industrial regions," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 53(3), pages 388-397, March.
    25. G. Barbato & E. M. Barini & G. Genta & R. Levi, 2011. "Features and performance of some outlier detection methods," Journal of Applied Statistics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 38(10), pages 2133-2149.
    26. Marco Bellandi & Erica Santini & Claudia Vecciolini, 2018. "Learning, unlearning and forgetting processes in industrial districts," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 42(6), pages 1671-1685.
    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. Silvia Muzi & Filip Jolevski & Kohei Ueda & Domenico Viganola, 2023. "Productivity and firm exit during the COVID-19 crisis: cross-country evidence," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 60(4), pages 1719-1760, April.
    2. Kaya, Orcun, 2022. "Determinants and consequences of SME insolvency risk during the pandemic," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 115(C).
    3. Lombardi, Silvia & Santini, Erica & Vecciolini, Claudia, 2022. "Drivers of territorial servitization: An empirical analysis of manufacturing productivity in local value chains," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 253(C).
    4. Nguyen, Bach & Tran, Hai-Anh & Stephan, Ute & Van, Ha Nguyen & Anh, Pham Thi Hoang, 2024. "“I can't get it out of my mind” - Why, how, and when crisis rumination leads entrepreneurs to act and pivot during crises," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 39(4).
    5. Athira, A. & Ramesh, Vishnu K., 2023. "COVID-19 and corporate tax avoidance: International evidence," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 32(4).
    6. Guo, Wen-Chung & Tseng, Ping-Lun, 2023. "COVID-19, bank risk, and capital regulation: The aggregate shock and social distancing," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 92(C), pages 155-173.
    7. Wagner, Joachim, 2023. "Exports and firm survival in times of COVID-19: Evidence from eight European countries," KCG Working Papers 29, Kiel Centre for Globalization (KCG).
    8. Bitar, Mohammad & Tarazi, Amine, 2022. "A note on regulatory responses to COVID-19 pandemic: Balancing banks’ solvency and contribution to recovery," Journal of Financial Stability, Elsevier, vol. 60(C).
    9. Pittiglio, Rosanna, 2024. "Counterfeiting and firm survival. Evidence from the Italian manufacturing industry," Economic Systems, Elsevier, vol. 48(2).
    10. Nenci, Silvia & Fusacchia, Ilaria & Giunta, Anna & Montalbano, Pierluigi & Pietrobelli, Carlo, 2022. "Mapping global value chain participation and positioning in agriculture and food: stylised facts, empirical evidence and critical issues," Bio-based and Applied Economics Journal, Italian Association of Agricultural and Applied Economics (AIEAA), vol. 11(2), July.
    11. Hiroyuki Okamuro & Yasushi Hara & Yunosuke Iwaki, 2022. "Impact of Consumer Awareness and Behavior on Business Exits in the Hospitality, Tourism, Entertainment, and Culture Industries under the COVID-19 Pandemic," Administrative Sciences, MDPI, vol. 12(4), pages 1-19, November.
    12. Harrison, Richard T., 2022. "“Pennies from heaven”? Market failure, circuits of capital and policy support for business angels: The case of cross-border angel investment," Journal of Business Venturing Insights, Elsevier, vol. 17(C).
    13. Srecko Devjak, 2023. "Corporate Liquidity in Coronacrisis: Experience of Serbian Economy," Central European Business Review, Prague University of Economics and Business, vol. 2023(1), pages 1-20.
    14. Berger, Allen N. & Demirgüç-Kunt, Asli, 2021. "Banking research in the time of COVID-19," Journal of Financial Stability, Elsevier, vol. 57(C).
    15. Giovanni Marin & Marco Modica, 2019. "The Survival of Italian Individual Firms to Local Demand Shocks During the Great Recession," SEEDS Working Papers 0119, SEEDS, Sustainability Environmental Economics and Dynamics Studies, revised Jan 2019.
    16. Sebnem Kalemli-Ozcan & Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas & Veronika Penciakova & Nick Sander, 2020. "COVID-19 and SME Failures," IMF Working Papers 2020/207, International Monetary Fund.
    17. Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas & Ṣebnem Kalemli-Özcan & Veronika Penciakova & Nick Sander, 2021. "Fiscal Policy in the Age of COVID: Does it ‘Get in all of the Cracks?’," NBER Working Papers 29293, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    18. Alessandro Arrighetti & Fabio Landini & Andrea Lasagni, 2021. "Swimming upstream throughout the turmoil: Evidence on firm growth during the great recession," Scottish Journal of Political Economy, Scottish Economic Society, vol. 68(3), pages 322-344, July.
    19. Gärtner, Leo & Marek, Philipp, 2022. "The impact of German public support transfers on firm finance: Evidence from the Covid-19 crisis," Discussion Papers 19/2022, Deutsche Bundesbank.
    20. Stef, Nicolae & Bissieux, Jean-Joachim, 2022. "Resolution of corporate insolvency during COVID-19 pandemic. Evidence from France," International Review of Law and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 70(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Firm survival; IDs; Innovative environment; Digitalization; Small firms; COVID-19; Italy;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D22 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Firm Behavior: Empirical Analysis
    • L22 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Firm Organization and Market Structure
    • L25 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Firm Performance
    • O14 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Industrialization; Manufacturing and Service Industries; Choice of Technology
    • O30 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - General
    • G33 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Bankruptcy; Liquidation

    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:spr:epolin:v:51:y:2024:i:2:d:10.1007_s40812-024-00309-0. 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: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    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.