Do Foreigners Invest Less in Poorly Governed Firms?
Posted: 5 Aug 2009
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Do Foreigners Invest Less in Poorly Governed Firms?
Do Foreigners Invest Less in Poorly Governed Firms?
Do Foreigners Invest Less in Poorly Governed Firms?
Date Written: August 2009
Abstract
As domestic sources of outside finance are limited in many countries around the world, it is important to understand factors that influence whether foreign investors provide capital to a country's firms. We study 4,409 firms from twenty-nine countries to assess whether and why concerns about corporate governance result in fewer foreign holdings. We find that foreigners invest less in firms that reside in countries with poor outsider protection and disclosure and have ownership structures that are conducive to governance problems. This effect is particularly pronounced when earnings are opaque, indicating that information asymmetry and monitoring costs faced by foreign investors likely drive the results.
Keywords: G11, G15, G32, G34
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