← Search

Journal of Financial Intermediation Vol. 16 No. 3 2007

How do legal differences and experience affect financial contracts?

Steven N. Kaplan1; Frederic Martel2; Per Strömberg3

1 University of Chicago · 2 University of Lausanne · 3 Institute for Financial Research

Abstract

We analyze venture capital (VC) investments in twenty-three non-US countries and compare them to US VC investments. We describe how the contracts allocate cash flow, board, liquidation, and other control rights. In univariate analyses, contracts differ across legal regimes. However, more experienced VCs implement US style contracts regardless of legal regime. In most specifications, legal regime becomes insignificant controlling for VC experience. VC firms that do not use US style contracts fail significantly more often, even controlling for VC experience. The results are consistent with US style contracts being efficient across a wide range of legal regimes.

DOI
10.1016/j.jfi.2007.03.005
Volume
16
Issue
3
Pages
273-311
Language
en
Sources
bibtex:phds-export.bib openalex crossref

Cite