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Political connections and the cost of debt: Re-examining the evidence from Malaysia

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  • Tee, Chwee Ming

Abstract

This study extends prior work on the relationship between politically connected firms (PCFs) and the cost of debt in Malaysia. Motivated by the results of Bliss and Gul (2012), this study employs a longer and comprehensive dataset to re-examine the association between PCFs and the cost of debt. First, political connections are associated with lower cost of debt. Second, CEO duality is associated with higher cost of debt. Third, higher audit committee independence leads to lower cost of debt. Although the results are intuitive and in line with established theories and prior evidence, they differ from the findings of Bliss and Gul (2012). Overall, we provide further evidence that studies examining the influence of political connections on firm outcomes should employ a longer period of study in order to capture the dynamic changes in leadership.

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  • Tee, Chwee Ming, 2018. "Political connections and the cost of debt: Re-examining the evidence from Malaysia," Journal of Multinational Financial Management, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 51-62.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:mulfin:v:46:y:2018:i:c:p:51-62
    DOI: 10.1016/j.mulfin.2018.05.003
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    Cited by:

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    2. Khaw, Karren Lee-Hwei & Zainudin, Rozaimah & Rashid, Rasidah Mohd, 2019. "Cost of debt financing: Does political connection matter?," Emerging Markets Review, Elsevier, vol. 41(C).
    3. Almaghrabi, Khadija S. & Tsalavoutas, Ioannis, 2022. "Political spending, related voluntary disclosure, and the cost of public debt," Journal of Financial Stability, Elsevier, vol. 63(C).
    4. Jie Sun & Lewis Makosa & Jinkun Yang & Fangyuan Yin & Lovemore Sitsha, 2023. "Does corporate tax planning mitigate financial constraints? Evidence from China," International Journal of Finance & Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 28(1), pages 510-527, January.
    5. Joni, Joni & Ahmed, Kamran & Hamilton, Jane, 2020. "Politically connected boards, family and business group affiliations, and cost of capital: Evidence from Indonesia," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 52(3).
    6. Jie Sun & Lewis Makosa & Jinkun Yang & Fangyuan Yin & Moses Jachi & Wellington Garikai Bonga, 2021. "Externalities of economic sanctions on performance of intra‐industry non‐sanctioned firms: Evidence from Zimbabwe," Scottish Journal of Political Economy, Scottish Economic Society, vol. 68(5), pages 643-664, November.
    7. Chen, Yutong & Chiplunkar, Gaurav & Sekhri, Sheetal & Sen, Anirban & Seth, Aaditeshwar, 2023. "How Do Political Connections of Firms Matter during an Economic Crisis?," IZA Discussion Papers 16131, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    8. Tee, Chwee-Ming & Hooy, Chee-Wooi, 2023. "Political connections and economic policy uncertainty: A global evidence," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 51(C).
    9. Chia, Yee-Ee & Lim, Kian-Ping & Goh, Kim-Leng, 2020. "Liquidity and firm value in an emerging market: Nonlinearity, political connections and corporate ownership," The North American Journal of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 52(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Political connections; The cost of debt; Malaysia;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G30 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - General
    • G32 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Financing Policy; Financial Risk and Risk Management; Capital and Ownership Structure; Value of Firms; Goodwill
    • G34 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Mergers; Acquisitions; Restructuring; Corporate Governance
    • P26 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Socialist and Transition Economies - - - Property Rights

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