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Capital Structure and Regulation: Do Ownership and Regulatory Independence Matter?

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  • Spiegel, Yossi
  • Bortolotti, Bernardo
  • Rondi, Laura
  • Cambini, Carlo

Abstract

We construct a comprehensive panel data of 92 publicly traded European utilities over the period 1994-2005 in order to study the relationship between capital structure, regulated prices, and firm value, and examine if and how this interaction is affected by ownership structure and regulatory independence. We show that regulated firms in our sample tend to have a higher leverage if they are privately-controlled and if they are regulated by an independent regulatory agency. Moreover, we find that the leverage of these firms has a positive and significant effect on their regulated prices, but not vice versa, and it also has a positive and significant effect on their market values. Our results are consistent with the theory that privately-controlled firms use leverage strategically to shield themselves against regulatory opportunism.

Suggested Citation

  • Spiegel, Yossi & Bortolotti, Bernardo & Rondi, Laura & Cambini, Carlo, 2008. "Capital Structure and Regulation: Do Ownership and Regulatory Independence Matter?," CEPR Discussion Papers 7100, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    • Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:7100
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Capital structure; Leverage; Private and state ownership; Regulated utilities; Regulatory agencies; Regulatory independence;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G31 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Capital Budgeting; Fixed Investment and Inventory Studies
    • G32 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Financing Policy; Financial Risk and Risk Management; Capital and Ownership Structure; Value of Firms; Goodwill
    • L33 - Industrial Organization - - Nonprofit Organizations and Public Enterprise - - - Comparison of Public and Private Enterprise and Nonprofit Institutions; Privatization; Contracting Out

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