Corporate response to distress: evidence from the Asian financial crisis

This paper provides a comprehensive examination of the ways in which companies respond to a country-wide crisis through the restructuring of their assets (through asset sales, mergers or liquidations) or liabilities. We find the restructuring of liabilities to be the most common type of response. On the other hand, we argue that firms may be reluctant to engage in major asset sales due to substantial price discounts that need to be applied to these transactions during the crisis. In fact, we document that transaction multiples dropped by 40% during the crisis, compared to a pre-crisis period. We contrast financial and corporate governance considerations and find strong support for the notion that, during a crisis, financial constraints have a large impact on the restructuring choice. However, we find corporate governance (e.g., control) considerations to matter only marginally both in statistical and economic terms.Corporate governance ; Financial crises - Asia

Reluctant Privatization

We study the evolution of the control structure of 141 privatized firms from OECD countries over the period from 1996 through 2000. We find that governments do not relinquish control after “privatization.” We show that the market-to-book ratios of privatized firms converge through time to those of a control sample. However, this convergence does not depend on whether governments relinquish their control rights. In fact, large government stakes have no negative effect on either adjusted market value or stock price performance.Privatization, Corporate governance

Corporate response to distress: evidence from the Asian financial crisis

This paper provides a comprehensive examination of corporate responses to financial distress during an economy-wide crisis, specifically through the restructuring of assets (through asset sales, mergers, or liquidations) and/or liabilities. Using firm-level data from five countries hardest hit by the East Asian financial crisis of 1997-98, this study contrasts the effects of financial and corporate governance variables on restructuring choices. The study finds that, during a crisis, financial constraints and corporate governance each have a large effect on the restructuring choice.Financial crises - Asia ; Corporate governance

Sudden Deaths: Taking Stock of Geographic Ties

Analysis of a world-wide sample of sudden deaths of politicians reveals a market adjusted 1.7% decline in the value of companies headquartered in the politician’s home town. The decline in value is followed by a drop in the rate of growth in sales and access to credit. Our results are particularly pronounced for family firms, firms with high growth prospects, firms in industries over which the politician has jurisdiction, and firms headquartered in highly corrupt countries.

Reluctant privatization

We study the evolution of the control structure for a large sample of privatized firms in OECD countries and find evidence broadly consistent with the concept of "reluctant privatization", defined as the transfer of ownership rights in State-owned enterprises without a corresponding transfer of control rights. Indeed, as of 2000, governments are the largest shareholder or use special control powers to retain voting control of 62.4% of privatized firms. However, contrary to accepted theory, greater government control over privatized firms does not negatively affect market valuation. In fact, government stakes are positively and significantly related to peer-adjusted market-to-book ratios. Results are not driven by the choice of the benchmark, reverse causality or by agency costs associated with private ownership. Rather, it appears that the relationship documented reflects more frequent financial aid (bailouts) accruing to privatized firms that remain under government control.Privatization, Corporate Governance

The Characteristics of Politically Connected Firms

Evidence from firms in 47 countries shows that companies connected with officials have higher leverage and higher market shares, but they underperform nonconnected companies on an accounting basis. Differences between connected and unconnected firms become particularly pronounced when political links are stronger, and when connected firms operate in countries with higher levels of corruption

Sheltering Corporate Assets from Political Extraction

We hypothesize that firms structure their asset holdings so as to shelter assets from extraction by politicians and bureaucrats. In countries where the threat of political extraction is higher, we hypothesize that firms hold a lower fraction of their assets in liquid form. Consistent with this conjecture, using data for over 30,000 firms across 109 countries, we find that corporate holdings of liquid assets are negatively correlated with measures of political corruption. Further, annual investment in property, plant, equipment, and inventory plus dividends is positively correlated with measures of political corruption suggesting that owners channel their cash into harder to extract assets. To the extent that the threat of political extraction moves firms away from their otherwise optimal levels of liquid assets, our findings suggest that the threat of political extraction may reduce economic development not only through the direct costs of political payoffs, but also because the potential for asset extraction moves firms away from their otherwise optimal asset holdings.

Government Control of Privatized Firms

We study the change in government control of privatized firms in OECD countries. Results indicate that governments typically transfer ownership rights without relinquishing proportional control. Control is commonly retained by leveraging state investments through pyramids, dual-class shares, and golden shares. Indeed, at the end of 2000, after the largest privatization wave in history, governments retain control of 62.4% of privatized firms. In civil law countries, governments tend to retain large ownership positions, whereas in common law countries they typically use golden shares. However, when we combine these two mechanisms, we find no association between a country’s legal tradition and the extent of government control. Rather, we document more prevalent government influence over privatized firms in countries with proportional electoral rules and with a centralized system of political authority

Sudden Deaths: Taking Stock of Geographic Ties

Analysis of a world-wide sample of sudden deaths of politicians reveals a market adjusted 1.7% decline in the value of companies headquartered in the politician’s home town. The decline in value is followed by a drop in the rate of growth in sales and access to credit. Our results are particularly pronounced for family firms, firms with high growth prospects, firms in industries over which the politician has jurisdiction, and firms headquartered in highly corrupt countries