Entrepreneurship and Credit Constraints - Evidence from a French Loan Guarantee Program

We use information on a French loan guarantee program in order to assess the consequences of credit constraints for new ventures. Loan Guarantee Programs, as implemented in France, are an effective instrument to help young firms grow faster, both in terms of employment and capital. These effects are quite persistent, since they are still significant four years after obtaining the guarantee. Loan guarantees also allow firms to pay cheaper interest rate, but a potential drawback of this policy consists in guaranteed ventures adopting riskier strategies and thus filing more often for bankruptcy. Last, we find no effect, at the industry level, on creation rates.