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Journal of Financial Economics Vol. 74 No. 1 2004

A revealed preference approach to understanding corporate governance problems: Evidence from Canada

Robert S. Chirinko1,2; Huntley Schaller3

1 Ifo Institute for Economic Research · 2 Emory University · 3 Carleton University

Abstract

Governance problems have a direct and immediate impact on the effective discount rate guiding investment decisions. Information from a transformed net present value rule and variation in firm-level panel data “reveal” the effective discount rate influencing investment. For the firms most likely to be affected by Jensen agency problems, investment behavior appears to be guided by discount rates less than the market rate by 350–400 basis points. This wedge is reduced for firms with a concentrated ownership structure. Firms facing free cash flow problems have a stock of fixed capital approximately 7–22% higher than would prevail under value maximizing behavior.

DOI
10.1016/j.jfineco.2002.11.001
Volume
74
Issue
1
Pages
181-206
Language
en
Sources
bibtex:phds-export.bib openalex crossref

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