The current study investigates the determinants of going private (GP) in France. It contrasts a sample of 161 firms that went private between 1997 and 2009 with a propensity-score-matched sample of firms that remained public during the same period. The results indicate that, unlike for firms...

This paper investigates the impact of labor protection on corporate debt maturity structure. We hypothesize that stronger labor protection is conducive to a greater use of short-term debt maturity by firms. Using various country-level indicators as measures of labor protection, and a sample of...

Using a sample of publicly listed banks from 62 countries over the 1991-2017 period, we investigate the impact of capital on banks' cost of equity. Consistent with the theoretical prediction that more equity in the capital mix leads to a fall in firms' costs of equity, we find that better...

This paper investigates the relationship between board size and performance in a sample of 174 bank and savings-and-loan holding companies, over the period 1995-2002. Using panel data techniques, we find that contrary to theories predicting that smaller boards of directors are more effective,...

This paper examines the interrelations among five ownership and board characteristics in a sample of 260 bank and savings-and-loan holding companies. These governance characteristics, designed to reduce agency problems between shareholders and managers, are insider ownership, blockholder...

We investigate corporate debt maturity structure in the MENA region and its firm and institutional determinants using a sample of 444 listed firms over the 2003-2011 period, or 3,717 firm-year observations. We find a very limited use of long-term debt by MENA firms; long-term debt represents...

This paper provides novel evidence on firm- and country-level determinants of firm capital structure decisions in the MENA region. Using a sample of 444 listed firms from ten countries, over the 2003-2011 period, we find that MENA firms have target leverage ratios toward which they adjust over...

I test the market discipline of bank risk hypothesis by examining whether banks choose risk management policies that account for the risk preferences of subordinated debt holders. Using around 500,000 quarterly observations on the population of U.S. insured commercial banks over the 1995-2009...

Using a sample of publicly listed banks from 62 countries over the 1991-2017 period, we investigate the impact of capital on banks' cost of equity. Consistent with the theoretical prediction that more equity in the capital mix leads to a fall in firms' costs of equity, we find that better...

We examine the relationship between stock extreme illiquidity and the implied cost of capital for firms from 45 countries. We document robust evidence that firms whose stocks have a greater potential for extreme illiquidity realizations suffer from higher cost of capital. A one standard...