Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/44466 
Year of Publication: 
2011
Series/Report no.: 
ZEW Discussion Papers No. 11-006
Publisher: 
Zentrum für Europäische Wirtschaftsforschung (ZEW), Mannheim
Abstract: 
There are noticeable differences between the roles that various forms of credit financing play in family businesses and in other businesses. Family businesses take out more often bank loans specifically to finance investments and innovations, and they particularly often resort to the short-term and relatively expensive option of an overdraft. How can we explain these differences in financing choices? Do family businesses tend to use shorter-term, more expensive sources of financing because they face more restrictions than other or are there other motives such as financial independence at play? Our econometric approach to these issues is to study the financing behaviour and creditworthiness. For both of these aspects, we compare family businesses with non-family-run businesses that otherwise have the same characteristics. Our results do not confirm that family businesses are faced by stronger financial constraints but they indicate that family firms are prepared to accept higher financing costs in order to preserve their financial independence.
Subjects: 
Corporate financing
innovation
family businesses
financing restrictions
JEL: 
G32
G31
M14
Persistent Identifier of the first edition: 
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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