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The Corporate Governance Role of the Media: Evidence from Russia

Author

Listed:
  • Dyck, Alexander

    (U of Toronto)

  • Volchkova, Natalya

    (New Economic School)

  • Zingales, Luigi

    (U of Chicago)

Abstract

We study the effect of media coverage on corporate governance by focusing on Russia in the period 1999-2002. This setting offers us three ideal conditions for such a study: plenty of corporate governance violations, no alternative mechanisms to address them, and the presence of an investment fund (the Hermitage) that actively lobbies the international press to shame companies perpetrating those violations. We find that Hermitage's lobbying is effective in increasing the coverage of corporate governance violations in the Anglo-American press. We also find that coverage in the Anglo-American press increases the probability that a corporate governance violation is reversed: one more article increases the probability of reversal by 5 percentage points. This effect is present even when we instrument coverage with an exogenous determinant, i.e. the Hermitage's portfolio composition at the beginning of the period. The Hermitage's strategy seems to work in part by impacting Russian companies' reputation abroad and in part by forcing regulators into action.

Suggested Citation

  • Dyck, Alexander & Volchkova, Natalya & Zingales, Luigi, 2007. "The Corporate Governance Role of the Media: Evidence from Russia," Working Papers 07-1, University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School, Weiss Center.
    • Handle: RePEc:ecl:upafin:07-1
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • G3 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance
    • O16 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Financial Markets; Saving and Capital Investment; Corporate Finance and Governance

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