Debt vs. Equity: Role of Corporate Governance
V. Panduranga Rao, PROCEEDINGS OF THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE 2005, EMERGING SECURITIES MARKET: CHALLENGES AND PROSPECTS, Vol. 2, ICFAI University Press, 2006
8th Capital Markets Conference, Indian Institute of Capital Markets Paper
19 Pages Posted: 29 Dec 2005 Last revised: 10 Mar 2012
Date Written: 2006
Abstract
This paper examines the relationship between corporate firm's ownership and capital structure in context of an emerging market economy, India. We use firm-level time series data of listed companies from 1994 through 2000 and analyze the firm's corporate financing behavior in connection with its corporate governance arrangements, specially its shareholding pattern. Our results show that the debt structure is non-linearly linked to the corporate governance (ownership structure). We find that firms with weaker corporate governance mechanisms, dispersed shareholding pattern, in particular measured by the entrenchment effects of group affiliation, tend to have a higher debt level. Firms with higher foreign ownership or with low institutional ownership tend to have lower debt level. We do not find any significant relationship between ownership of directors and corporate with the capital structure.
Keywords: Corporate Governance, Capital Structure, Emerging Economy, and India
JEL Classification: G15, G32, G34
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation