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Same as it ever was? Europe's national borders and the market for corporate control

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  • Umber, Marc P.
  • Grote, Michael H.
  • Frey, Rainer

Abstract

National borders continue to be strong barriers for mergers and acquisitions in Europe. Using regional data, we construct a gravity model and find that the restraining impact of national borders decreased by more than 17 percent between 1991 and 2007. However, no significant change has occurred since the mid-1990s (i.e., four years before the introduction of the euro). In comparison, we run a corresponding analysis in the United States using the 10 federal regions as country equivalents. The resulting ‘quasi-border’ effect in the United States is weaker than that in the European Union. Yet its decline by 43 percent is much stronger in the same period. We conclude that European integration policy has had little effect on fostering M&A cross-border transactions.

Suggested Citation

  • Umber, Marc P. & Grote, Michael H. & Frey, Rainer, 2014. "Same as it ever was? Europe's national borders and the market for corporate control," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 40(C), pages 109-127.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:jimfin:v:40:y:2014:i:c:p:109-127
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jimonfin.2013.09.002
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    European integration; Corporate control; Border effects;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F21 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - International Investment; Long-Term Capital Movements
    • G34 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Mergers; Acquisitions; Restructuring; Corporate Governance

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