This paper examines the role of political affiliation in the extension of trade credit by Chinese firms. Using a dataset of more than 70,000 firms over the period 2000-2007, we find that, because they benefit from easier access to short-term external funding, politically affiliated firms can...

This paper provides a detailed empirical study on the use of advance payments by firms. It establishes that some trade credit theories can also be applied to prepayment. The results, obtained from a large panel data set, suggest that financially stronger customers fund the production of their...

This paper addresses a puzzle in China's investment pattern: despite high aggregate investment and remarkable economic growth, negative investment is commonly found at the microeconomic level. Using a large firm-level dataset, we show that private firms divest in order to raise capital. We also...