Credit constraints, organizational choice, and returns to capital: Evidence from a rural industrial cluster in China

Traditional economic theory posits that a well-functioning capital market is a necessary condition for industrialization and economic growth. In reality, micro and small enterprises are ubiquitous because entrepreneurs can undertake low-return activities with minimal barriers to entry. Using a cashm...

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Autores principales: Ruan, Jianqing, Zhang, Xiaobo
Formato: Artículo preliminar
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: International Food Policy Research Institute 2008
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/161482
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author Ruan, Jianqing
Zhang, Xiaobo
author_browse Ruan, Jianqing
Zhang, Xiaobo
author_facet Ruan, Jianqing
Zhang, Xiaobo
author_sort Ruan, Jianqing
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Traditional economic theory posits that a well-functioning capital market is a necessary condition for industrialization and economic growth. In reality, micro and small enterprises are ubiquitous because entrepreneurs can undertake low-return activities with minimal barriers to entry. Using a cashmere sweater cluster in China as an example, this paper shows that organizational choice can overcome the prohibitive cost of investment. When facing credit constraints, firms are more likely to concentrate in divisible production technologies in the form of industrial clusters. Within clusters, a vertically-integrated production process can be decomposed into many small incremental stages that are more accessible for the small entrepreneurs widely available in rural China, thereby supporting industrialization even in the absence of a well-functioning capital market. The observed rate of returns to capital is closely related to the organizational choice under credit constraints.
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spelling CGSpace1614822025-11-06T05:37:47Z Credit constraints, organizational choice, and returns to capital: Evidence from a rural industrial cluster in China Ruan, Jianqing Zhang, Xiaobo industrialization entrepreneurship credit organizational learning Traditional economic theory posits that a well-functioning capital market is a necessary condition for industrialization and economic growth. In reality, micro and small enterprises are ubiquitous because entrepreneurs can undertake low-return activities with minimal barriers to entry. Using a cashmere sweater cluster in China as an example, this paper shows that organizational choice can overcome the prohibitive cost of investment. When facing credit constraints, firms are more likely to concentrate in divisible production technologies in the form of industrial clusters. Within clusters, a vertically-integrated production process can be decomposed into many small incremental stages that are more accessible for the small entrepreneurs widely available in rural China, thereby supporting industrialization even in the absence of a well-functioning capital market. The observed rate of returns to capital is closely related to the organizational choice under credit constraints. 2008 2024-11-21T09:56:00Z 2024-11-21T09:56:00Z Working Paper https://hdl.handle.net/10568/161482 en https://doi.org/10.1002/jsc.1901 Open Access application/pdf International Food Policy Research Institute Ruan, Jianqing; Zhang, Xiaobo. 2008. Credit constraints, organizational choice, and returns to capital. IFPRI Discussion Paper 830. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/161482
spellingShingle industrialization
entrepreneurship
credit
organizational learning
Ruan, Jianqing
Zhang, Xiaobo
Credit constraints, organizational choice, and returns to capital: Evidence from a rural industrial cluster in China
title Credit constraints, organizational choice, and returns to capital: Evidence from a rural industrial cluster in China
title_full Credit constraints, organizational choice, and returns to capital: Evidence from a rural industrial cluster in China
title_fullStr Credit constraints, organizational choice, and returns to capital: Evidence from a rural industrial cluster in China
title_full_unstemmed Credit constraints, organizational choice, and returns to capital: Evidence from a rural industrial cluster in China
title_short Credit constraints, organizational choice, and returns to capital: Evidence from a rural industrial cluster in China
title_sort credit constraints organizational choice and returns to capital evidence from a rural industrial cluster in china
topic industrialization
entrepreneurship
credit
organizational learning
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/161482
work_keys_str_mv AT ruanjianqing creditconstraintsorganizationalchoiceandreturnstocapitalevidencefromaruralindustrialclusterinchina
AT zhangxiaobo creditconstraintsorganizationalchoiceandreturnstocapitalevidencefromaruralindustrialclusterinchina