Existing theories of a firm's optimal capital structure seem to fail in explaining why many healthy and profitable firms rely heavily on equity financing, even though benefits associated with debt (like tax shields) appear to be high and the bankruptcy risk low. This holds in particular for...

This concept paper synthesises the special issue with an integrated discussion of all four papers published therein, from the viewpoint of the theme of this special issue: opportunities and challenges for future empirical research in corporate finance. The four papers highlight that future...