Abstract / Description of output
Informal finance plays an important role in transitional economies with weak legal institutions, like China. As a major informal finance instrument, trade credit relies on informal institutions and enforcement. We argue that religion enhances the ethical climate in which firms do business, and we predict that religiosity increases trade credit, in that religion enhances enforcement by increasing non-pecuniary cost and reducing risk-taking. The results based on Chinese non-state listed firms between 2003 and 2013 confirm our prediction that firms located in high religiosity regions are associated with more trade credit, especially in regions where formal institutions are weak or formal financing channels are limited. Furthermore, we show that religiosity reduces overdue trade credit. Finally, the results are driven by Buddhism, Taoism, and Christianity but not Islam.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1410-1420 |
Journal | Regional Studies |
Volume | 53 |
Issue number | 10 |
Early online date | 23 Apr 2019 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 3 Oct 2019 |
Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)
- trade credit
- religion
- informal institution
- informal finance
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Wenxuan Hou
- Business School - Personal Chair in Corporate Finance
- Accounting and Finance
- Corporate Finance
- Edinburgh Centre for Financial Innovations
Person: Academic: Research Active