Financial interlinkage, in the form of cross-holding of equity and debt between firms, characterize business groups in many countries. We suggest that such financial interlinkage can be viewed as a way to solve credit rationing caused by asymmetric information. If firms possess better...

This paper investigates the capital structure and investment behaviour in Thailand in the early half of the 1990s. First, we examine the idea of 'pecking order' preferences for firms' fund raising in developing countries generally and in Thailand in particular. We consider unique features such...

A business group with a pyramid ownership structure is a prevalent form in developing countries. I show that the propping up function of pyramid groups exists only in countries without good investor protection where minority shareholders could be expropriated with low cost. A pyramid business...

Existing studies on the financial system in East Asia have emphasized its excessive debt financing, the lack of a bond market and its limited function on corporate governance. Other apparent facts, such as the average low debt ratio, the existence of large but unlisted firms, and the...

In a large sample of European firms we analyze the value discount associated with disproportional ownership structures first documented by Claessens et al (2002). Consistent with a theoretical model of incentives and entrenchment effects, we find higher value discount in family firms, in firms...

This study investigates the effects of controlling shareholders on corporate performance. The empirical results, based on a unique database of Thai firms, do not support the hypothesis that controlling shareholders expropriate corporate assets. In fact, the presence of controlling shareholders...

I examine the relation between Tobin's Q and the structure of foreign equity ownership for a sample of 945 industrial firms listed in the 1st Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange. I find evidence of significant curvilinear relation between Q and the fraction of common stocks owned by foreigners...

This paper examines the ownership structure of listed Thai firms in 1996. The ownership structure is concentrated. In 82.59 percent of the firms in the sample, the largest shareholders are also controlling shareholders. The controlling shareholders are mainly families. Foreign investors form the...

From 1988 to 2003, the average change in managerial ownership is significantly negative every year for American firms. We find that managers are more likely to significantly decrease their ownership when their firms are performing well, but not more likely to increase their ownership when their...

We analyse controlling owners incentive to provide non-controlling owners with better protection against self-dealing through offering new shares with tag-along rights, - the private contracting alternative to equal price provision in takeover legislation. Our model identifies two counteracting...