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Zombie firms: Prevalence, determinants, and corporate policies

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  • El Ghoul, Sadok
  • Fu, Zhengwei
  • Guedhami, Omrane

Abstract

Using a comprehensive dataset of firms from seventy-nine countries, we document the incidence, determinants, and corporate policies of zombie firms for the 2005–2016 period. Zombie firms account for roughly 10% of our observations. We find that countries with more efficient debt enforcement environments tend to have fewer zombie firms. We find no evidence that the prevalence of zombie firms is related to national culture. We further find that zombie firms have conservative dividend and investment policies, aggressive leverage policies, and higher idiosyncratic risk. We conclude that zombie firms may impose a cost on the economy by impeding efficient resource allocation.

Suggested Citation

  • El Ghoul, Sadok & Fu, Zhengwei & Guedhami, Omrane, 2021. "Zombie firms: Prevalence, determinants, and corporate policies," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 41(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:finlet:v:41:y:2021:i:c:s1544612320316901
    DOI: 10.1016/j.frl.2020.101876
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. El Ghoul, Sadok & Guedhami, Omrane & Kwok, Chuck C.Y. & Zheng, Ying, 2019. "Collectivism and the costs of high leverage," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 106(C), pages 227-245.
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    Cited by:

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    2. Zhang, Xiaoqian & Huang, Bin, 2022. "Does bank competition inhibit the formation of zombie firms?," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 1045-1060.
    3. Feng, Ling & Lang, Henan & Pei, Tingting, 2022. "Zombie firms and corporate savings: Evidence from Chinese manufacturing firms," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 551-564.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Zombie firms; Debt enforcement; Corporate policies;
    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
    • G33 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Bankruptcy; Liquidation

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