Coauteurs : Luc Jacolin et Quentin Dufresne (Banque de France)
Résumé
Leveraging a unique dataset that combines country-level information on debt restructuring with firm-level data from the World Bank Enterprise Surveys (WBES) spanning 2004–2023, we analyze the effects of debt restructuring on firm sales growth. Using recent advances in difference-in-differences estimation to account for the staggered implementation of restructurings, we find that sovereign debt restructuring increases firm performance by 5–9 percentage points, with stronger effects for private, domestically owned firms and those reliant on public and financial services. The impact varies by debt type (domestic or external), creditor composition, and implementation speed. Swift external restructurings led by official creditors, such as the Paris Club, yield the most substantial positive effects, whereas other types of restructurings show no significant impact on private-sector growth.