IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/finana/v95y2024ipbs1057521924004320.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Does financial market liberalization promote corporate radical innovation? Evidence from China

Author

Listed:
  • Li, Xiao-Lin
  • Si, Deng-Kui

Abstract

This paper investigates the impact of financial market liberalization on corporate radical innovation using Chinese non-financial firm-level data from 2000 to 2022. The results show that increased financial market liberalization promotes corporate radical innovation by alleviating financing constraints, enhancing capital allocation efficiency, and improving credit allocation quality. These findings remain robust even after replacing variable measurements, changing model specifications, and addressing endogeneity concerns. The positive impact of financial market liberalization on corporate radical innovation is more pronounced for firms facing higher financing constraints, governance efficiency, information asymmetry, marketization, and capital intensity. Our study underscores the critical role of thoughtful financial market reforms in driving high-quality corporate development.

Suggested Citation

  • Li, Xiao-Lin & Si, Deng-Kui, 2024. "Does financial market liberalization promote corporate radical innovation? Evidence from China," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 95(PB).
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:finana:v:95:y:2024:i:pb:s1057521924004320
    DOI: 10.1016/j.irfa.2024.103500
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1057521924004320
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.irfa.2024.103500?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Brav, Alon & Jiang, Wei & Ma, Song & Tian, Xuan, 2018. "How does hedge fund activism reshape corporate innovation?," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 130(2), pages 237-264.
    2. Bo, Xinru & Fan, Xiaomin (Michelle) & Kong, Aiguo, 2023. "The dark side of political promotion incentives: Evidence from firm performance," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 51(C).
    3. Liu, Amanda & Shim, Ilhyock, 2024. "Shadow loans and regulatory arbitrage: Evidence from China," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 160(C).
    4. Feng Lu, Susan & Yao, Yang, 2009. "The Effectiveness of Law, Financial Development, and Economic Growth in an Economy of Financial Repression: Evidence from China," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 37(4), pages 763-777, April.
    5. Chinn, Menzie David & Ito, Hiro, 2005. "What Matters for Financial Development? Capital Controls, Institutions, and Interactions," Santa Cruz Center for International Economics, Working Paper Series qt5pv1j341, Center for International Economics, UC Santa Cruz.
    6. Su, Kun & Zhao, Yan & Wang, Yinghui, 2024. "Customer concentration and corporate financialization: Evidence from non-financial firms in China," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    7. Li, Yi & Peng, Wei, 2024. "Bank price competition and enterprise innovation——Based on empirical evidence of Chinese A-share listed companies," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    8. Meslier, Céline & Rehault, Pierre-Nicolas & Sauviat, Alain & Yuan, Dian, 2022. "Benefits of local banking in local economic development: Disparities between micro firms and other SMEs," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 143(C).
    9. Chen, Sheng-Syan & Kao, Wei-Chuan & Wang, Yanzhi, 2021. "Tax policy and innovation performance: Evidence from enactment of the alternative simplified credit," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 125(C).
    10. Bekaert, Geert & Harvey, Campbell R. & Lundblad, Christian, 2005. "Does financial liberalization spur growth?," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 77(1), pages 3-55, July.
    11. Yu, Mingzhe & Deng, Xin, 2021. "The Inheritance of Marketization Level and Regional Human Capital Accumulation: Evidence from China," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 43(C).
    12. Allen, Franklin & Qian, Yiming & Tu, Guoqian & Yu, Frank, 2019. "Entrusted loans: A close look at China's shadow banking system," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 133(1), pages 18-41.
    13. Xuan Tian & Jiajie Xu, 2022. "Do Place-Based Policies Promote Local Innovation and Entrepreneurship? [A model of growth through creative destruction]," Review of Finance, European Finance Association, vol. 26(3), pages 595-635.
    14. Hagedoorn, John & Cloodt, Myriam, 2003. "Measuring innovative performance: is there an advantage in using multiple indicators?," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 32(8), pages 1365-1379, September.
    15. Chinn, Menzie D. & Ito, Hiro, 2006. "What matters for financial development? Capital controls, institutions, and interactions," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 81(1), pages 163-192, October.
    16. Lai, Shaojie & Chen, Lihan & Wang, Qing Sophie & Anderson, Hamish D., 2023. "Bank competition and corporate employment: Evidence from the geographic distribution of bank branches in China," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 154(C).
    17. Abdul Abiad & Ashoka Mody, 2005. "Financial Reform: What Shakes It? What Shapes It?," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 95(1), pages 66-88, March.
    18. Chang-Tai Hsieh & Peter J. Klenow, 2009. "Misallocation and Manufacturing TFP in China and India," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 124(4), pages 1403-1448.
    19. Liu, Xiaoling & Wu, Yuhui & Zhang, Huan, 2023. "Collateral-based monetary policy and corporate employment: Evidence from Medium-term Lending Facility in China," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    20. Kong, Dongmin & Zhang, Bohui & Zhang, Jian, 2022. "Higher education and corporate innovation," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).
    21. Kim, Jonghwan (Simon) & Koo, KwangJoo (KJ), 2023. "The dark side of tournaments: Evidence from innovation performance," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 66(C).
    22. Liu, Zheng & Spiegel, Mark M. & Zhang, Jingyi, 2021. "Optimal capital account liberalization in China," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 117(C), pages 1041-1061.
    23. Chen, Yunsen & Huang, Jianqiao & Li, Xiao & Ni, Xiaoran, 2023. "Financial market opening and corporate tax avoidance: Evidence from staggered quasi-natural experiments," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 54(C).
    24. He, Feng & Ma, Yaming & Zhang, Xiaojie, 2020. "How does economic policy uncertainty affect corporate Innovation?–Evidence from China listed companies," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 225-239.
    25. Yang, Yuxiang & Zhang, Hongyong, 2021. "The value-added tax reform and labor market outcomes: Firm-level evidence from China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 69(C).
    26. Rui, Linlin & Sun, Wenyan & Xu, Fangyuan, 2024. "The impact of bank credit corruption on firms' carbon emission reduction innovations: Empirical evidence from China," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 60(C).
    27. Céline Meslier & Pierre-Nicolas Rehault & Alain Sauviat & Dian Yuan, 2022. "Benefits of local banking in local economic development: Disparities between micro firms and other SMEs," Post-Print hal-04681683, HAL.
    28. Yu, Zhiyang & Yu, Kaibin & Ye, Ying & Wang, Canghong, 2024. "Corporate financialization and the spread of issuing bonds," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 59(C).
    29. Zhang, Lei & Zhou, Junhu, 2024. "The impact of imperfect financial markets and stock holdings on corporate innovation: Evidence from China," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 61(C).
    30. Li, Zhisheng & Liu, Chun & Ni, Xiaoran & Pang, Jiaren, 2024. "Stock market liberalization and corporate investment revisited: Evidence from China," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).
    31. Chinn, Menzie David & Ito, Hiro, 2005. "What Matters for Financial Development? Capital Controls, Institutions, and Interactions," Santa Cruz Department of Economics, Working Paper Series qt5pv1j341, Department of Economics, UC Santa Cruz.
    32. Islam, Emdad & Rahman, Lubna, 2023. "Shades of grey: Risk-related agency conflicts and corporate innovation," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    33. Kasahara, Hiroyuki & Sawada, Yasuyuki & Suzuki, Michio, 2024. "The effect of bank recapitalization policy on credit allocation, investment, and productivity: Evidence from a banking crisis in Japan," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).
    34. Hirshleifer, David & Hsu, Po-Hsuan & Li, Dongmei, 2013. "Innovative efficiency and stock returns," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 107(3), pages 632-654.
    35. Gelos, R. Gaston & Werner, Alejandro M., 2002. "Financial liberalization, credit constraints, and collateral: investment in the Mexican manufacturing sector," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 67(1), pages 1-27, February.
    36. Lin, Chih-Yung & Chen, Yehning & Ho, Po-Hsin & Yen, Ju-Fang, 2020. "CEO overconfidence and bank loan contracting," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 64(C).
    37. Pham, Mia Hang & Merkoulova, Yulia & Veld, Chris, 2024. "Award-winning CEOs and corporate innovation," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 159(C).
    38. Charles J. Hadlock & Joshua R. Pierce, 2010. "New Evidence on Measuring Financial Constraints: Moving Beyond the KZ Index," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 23(5), pages 1909-1940.
    39. Jun Wen & Gen-Fu Feng & Chun-Ping Chang & Zhao-Zhen Feng, 2018. "Stock liquidity and enterprise innovation: new evidence from China," The European Journal of Finance, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 24(9), pages 683-713, June.
    40. Moussa, Faten & BenOuda, Olfa & Delhoumi, Ezzeddine, 2017. "The use of open source internet to analysis and predict stock market trading volume," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 399-411.
    41. Jeong†Bon Kim & Liandong Zhang, 2014. "Financial Reporting Opacity and Expected Crash Risk: Evidence from Implied Volatility Smirks," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 31(3), pages 851-875, September.
    42. Pellicani, Aline Damasceno & Kalatzis, Aquiles Elie Guimarães, 2019. "Ownership structure, overinvestment and underinvestment: Evidence from Brazil," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 475-482.
    43. James B. ANG, 2014. "Innovation and Financial Liberalization: The Case of India," Economic Growth Centre Working Paper Series 1404, Nanyang Technological University, School of Social Sciences, Economic Growth Centre.
    44. Wang, Xun, 2022. "Capital account liberalization, financial dependence and technological innovation: Cross-country evidence," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 145(C).
    45. Jiang, Lan & Wu, Tong, 2023. "Banking market structure and industrial structure: A transnational empirical study," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 54(C).
    46. Ge, Wenxia & Kim, Jeong-Bon & Song, Byron Y., 2012. "Internal governance, legal institutions and bank loan contracting around the world," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 18(3), pages 413-432.
    47. Liu, Duan & Wang, Chen & Zhang, Hui & Yao, Shujie & Li, Zixin, 2023. "Financial market imperfections and sensitivity of cash holdings to R&D investment: Evidence from chinese listed firms," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 66(C).
    48. Xu, Zhaoxia, 2020. "Economic policy uncertainty, cost of capital, and corporate innovation," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 111(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Si, Deng-Kui & Wang, Meng & Wang, Jiaming & Li, Hong-Xue, 2024. "Does banking competition increase corporate labor income share? Evidence from China," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 84(C), pages 440-454.
    2. Si, Deng-Kui & Meng, Mingyue & Wang, Jiaming & Zhou, Fuyou, 2024. "Does capital market liberalization increase corporate labor income share? Evidence from China," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 141(C).
    3. Zhao, Xiaomeng & Chen, Yinna & Wang, Jiaming, 2025. "Greening through finance? Based on the dual perspective of external constraints and internal governance," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    4. Cui, Ling & Si, Deng-Kui, 2024. "Does RMB exchange rate regime reform decrease corporate risk-taking? Evidence from China," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 69(PA).
    5. Fu, Huilian & Cai, Jingyi & Xia, Sinan & Zhou, Lianjie, 2025. "Regional financial regulatory intensity and corporate capital misallocation," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 100(C).
    6. Si, Deng-Kui & Wang, Meng & Yu, Yong, 2025. "Does the housing purchase restriction policy promote entrepreneurship? Evidence from China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    7. Chen, Wen & Li, Guangzi & Liu, Jianxiong, 2025. "The impact of interest rate liberalization on loan pricing efficiency: Theory and evidence," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 103(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Campos, Nauro F. & De Grauwe, Paul & Ji, Yuemei, 2025. "Structural reforms and economic performance: the experience of advanced economies," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 120870, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    2. Philip R. Lane IIIS, Trinity College Dublin and CEPR, 2009. "Innovation and Financial Globalisation," The Institute for International Integration Studies Discussion Paper Series iiisdp299, IIIS.
    3. Christiansen, Lone & Schindler, Martin & Tressel, Thierry, 2013. "Growth and structural reforms: A new assessment," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 89(2), pages 347-356.
    4. Aniruddha Mitra & James Bang & Phanindra Wunnava, 2014. "Financial liberalization and the selection of emigrants: a cross-national analysis," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 47(1), pages 199-226, August.
    5. Moshirian, Fariborz & Tian, Xuan & Zhang, Bohui & Zhang, Wenrui, 2021. "Stock market liberalization and innovation," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 139(3), pages 985-1014.
    6. Braun, Matias & Raddatz, Claudio, 2007. "Trade liberalization, capital account liberalization and the real effects of financial development," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 26(5), pages 730-761, September.
    7. Chun Jiang & Amei Feng & Chunhuan Xiao, 2021. "Does Capital Account Liberalization Spur Entrepreneurship: The Role of Financial Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-19, August.
    8. Bekaert, Geert & Harvey, Campbell R. & Lundblad, Christian, 2011. "Financial Openness and Productivity," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 39(1), pages 1-19, January.
    9. Susie Lee & Ingmar Schumacher, 2011. "When does financial sector (in)stability induce financial reforms?," Working Papers hal-00637954, HAL.
    10. Carlos Chavez, 2024. "Estimating the Effects of Financial Liberalisation on Governability and Social Stability," Foreign Trade Review, , vol. 59(4), pages 588-614, November.
    11. Mitra, Aniruddha & Bang, James T. & Wunnava, Phanindra V., 2011. "Financial Liberalization and the Brain Drain: A Panel Data Analysis," IZA Discussion Papers 5953, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    12. Nauro F. Campos & Paul De Grauwe & Yuemei Ji, 2017. "Structural Reforms, Growth and Inequality: An Overview of Theory, Measurement and Evidence," CESifo Working Paper Series 6812, CESifo.
    13. Zheng, Mingbo & Feng, Gen-Fu & Wang, Quan-Jing & Chang, Chun-Ping, 2023. "Financial globalization and technological innovation: International evidence," Economic Systems, Elsevier, vol. 47(1).
    14. Tongurai, Jittima & Vithessonthi, Chaiporn, 2018. "The impact of the banking sector on economic structure and growth," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 193-207.
    15. Can ERBIL & Durmus OZDEMIR, 2008. "Does Financial Liberalization Trigger Long-Run Economic Growth?," EcoMod2008 23800033, EcoMod.
    16. Navaz Naghavi & Muhammad Shujaat Mubarik & Devinder Kaur, 2018. "Financial Liberalization And Stock Market Efficiency: Measuring The Threshold Effects Of Governance," Annals of Financial Economics (AFE), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 13(04), pages 1-24, December.
    17. Sulaiman, Saidu & Masih, Mansur, 2017. "Is liberalizing finance the game in town for Nigeria ?," MPRA Paper 95569, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    18. Sèna Kimm Gnangnon, 2022. "Export diversification and financial openness," International Economics and Economic Policy, Springer, vol. 19(4), pages 675-717, October.
    19. World Bank Group, "undated". "Africa's Pulse, No. 18, October 2018," World Bank Publications - Reports 30455, The World Bank Group.
    20. Lim, Kian-Ping & Kim, Jae H., 2011. "Trade openness and the informational efficiency of emerging stock markets," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 28(5), pages 2228-2238, September.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:finana:v:95:y:2024:i:pb:s1057521924004320. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/inca/620166 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.