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No debt no performance? CEO gender matters

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  • Hamelin, Anaïs
  • Lefebvre, Vivien
  • Weill, Laurent

Abstract

We examine the effect of CEO gender on the relation between having no debt and firm performance on a sample of Italian firms. No debt is associated with higher performance for male-led firms but with lower performance for female-led firms.

Suggested Citation

  • Hamelin, Anaïs & Lefebvre, Vivien & Weill, Laurent, 2022. "No debt no performance? CEO gender matters," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 219(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecolet:v:219:y:2022:i:c:s0165176522003147
    DOI: 10.1016/j.econlet.2022.110838
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Zero leverage; Firm performance; CEO; Gender gap;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G32 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Financing Policy; Financial Risk and Risk Management; Capital and Ownership Structure; Value of Firms; Goodwill
    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
    • L25 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Firm Performance

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