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Law of incorporation and firm ownership structure: The law and finance theory revisited

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  • Bozec, Yves
  • Rousseau, Stephane
  • Laurin, Claude

Abstract

La Porta et al.'s [La Porta, R., Lopez-de-Silanes, F., Shleifer, A., & Vishny, R. (1998). Law and finance. Journal of Political Economy, 106(6), 1113-1155] theory of law and finance predicts that minority controlled ownership structures, i.e. those that allow voting rights to exceed cash-flow rights, are more numerous in legal contexts that do not adequately protect investors against expropriation attempts by dominant shareholders. The purpose of our study is to test this prediction in a unique environment, that of the province of Quebec. Quebec owes its distinct status to the fact that it is the only jurisdiction among the 10 provinces of Canada to operate under civil law, while the other nine provinces operate under common law. We show that, in comparison to those in the rest of Canada, dominant shareholders in Quebec corporations hold a higher percentage of voting rights, with a wider gap between their voting rights and cash-flow rights.

Suggested Citation

  • Bozec, Yves & Rousseau, Stephane & Laurin, Claude, 2008. "Law of incorporation and firm ownership structure: The law and finance theory revisited," International Review of Law and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 28(2), pages 140-149, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:irlaec:v:28:y:2008:i:2:p:140-149
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Ghouma, Hatem & Ben-Nasr, Hamdi & Yan, Ruiqian, 2018. "Corporate governance and cost of debt financing: Empirical evidence from Canada," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 138-148.
    3. Narjess Boubraki & Yves Bozec & Claude Laurin & Stéphane Rousseau, 2011. "Incorporation Law, Ownership Structure, and Firm Value: Evidence from Canada," Journal of Empirical Legal Studies, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 8(2), pages 358-383, June.
    4. Christophe Volonté, 2015. "Culture and Corporate Governance: The Influence of Language and Religion in Switzerland," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 55(1), pages 77-118, February.
    5. Gantenbein, Pascal & Volonté, Christophe, 2012. "Does culture affect corporate governance?," Working papers 2012/04, Faculty of Business and Economics - University of Basel.
    6. Vagner Alves Arantes & Saidatou Dicko & Rodrigo Oliveira Soares, 2024. "Firms’ political connections and performance in Brazil and Canada: an analysis of the effect of country institutional factors," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 28(1), pages 63-112, March.

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