Using internal data of a leasing company in Germany, we examine the determinants of the probability and use of leasing by small firms. We find that small and young firms are likely to be constrained on the leasing market but use leasing to increase their debt capacity. Beyond contract- and...

External corporate financing typically involves contracts presenting a majority of the financial risks of the entrepreneurial activity on the entrepreneur. In academic literature, this one-sided risk allocation is usually justified by the informational advantages and unobservable actions of the...