Financial Decisions and Investment Outcomes in Developing Countries The Role of Institutions

This paper analyzes how differences in legal origin, judicial efficiency, and investor protection affect firm leverage and earnings volatility across developing countries. Using a large number of developing countries, four main findings are highlighted. First, firms in civil legal origin countries r...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Turk, Rima
Format: eBook
Language:English
Published: Washington, D.C. International Monetary Fund 2015
Series:IMF Working Papers
Subjects:
Online Access:
Collection: International Monetary Fund - Collection details see MPG.ReNa
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245 0 0 |a Financial Decisions and Investment Outcomes in Developing Countries  |b The Role of Institutions  |c Rima Turk 
260 |a Washington, D.C.  |b International Monetary Fund  |c 2015 
300 |a 41 pages 
651 4 |a India 
653 |a Revenue administration 
653 |a Labour 
653 |a Public finance & taxation 
653 |a Taxes 
653 |a Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs: General 
653 |a Value of Firms 
653 |a Saving and Capital Investment 
653 |a Average effective tax rate 
653 |a Exports and Imports 
653 |a International Lending and Debt Problems 
653 |a International economics 
653 |a Economic Development: Financial Markets 
653 |a Legal support in revenue administration 
653 |a External debt 
653 |a Debts, External 
653 |a Labor 
653 |a International Financial Markets 
653 |a Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue: General 
653 |a Capital and Ownership Structure 
653 |a Goodwill 
653 |a Tax policy 
653 |a Income tax systems 
653 |a Tax administration and procedure 
653 |a Wages 
653 |a Financial Risk and Risk Management 
653 |a Taxation 
653 |a Financing Policy 
653 |a Public Finance 
653 |a Income economics 
653 |a Debt financing 
653 |a Revenue 
653 |a Income tax 
653 |a Corporate Finance and Governance 
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520 |a This paper analyzes how differences in legal origin, judicial efficiency, and investor protection affect firm leverage and earnings volatility across developing countries. Using a large number of developing countries, four main findings are highlighted. First, firms in civil legal origin countries rely more on debt financing compared to firms in common law countries, and they exhibit lower earnings volatility. Second, under weak judicial enforcement, firms tend to borrow more but they take less risk. Third, stronger creditor rights increase debt financing and reduce earnings volatility. Fourth, firm listing on a developed stock exchange shifts the capital structure towards more equity financing, and it increases the firm’s ability to borrow more when the judicial system is inefficient. The results reinforce the importance of strengthening laws and institutions as well as deepening capital markets in developing countries to improve financing conditions and investment outcomes