This paper investigates the relationship between local banking structures, SME access to debt financing and SME performance. Using a unique dataset on bank branch locations in Poland and county-level and firm-level data, we conclude that a strong position for local, cooperative banks facilitates...

This paper focuses on a new concern in the small firm’s literature, namely what makes a small firm stay in business for a long time. It reflects a change in economic policy, away from an emphasis on volume of start-ups to an emphasis on quality of start-ups. The basic hypothesis is that...