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The Externalities of Corruption: Evidence from Entrepreneurial Firms in China

Author

Listed:
  • Mariassunta Giannetti
  • Guanmin Liao
  • Jiaxing You
  • Xiaoyun Yu

Abstract

Exploiting China’s anti-corruption campaign, we show that following a decrease in corruption, firm performance improves. Small and young firms benefit more. We identify the channels through which corruption hampers firm performance. Following the anti-corruption campaign, the allocation of capital and labor becomes more efficient. Firms operating in ex ante more corrupt environments experience larger productivity gains, higher growth of sales, and lower cost of debt than other firms. Taken together, our results suggest that corruption is an inefficient equilibrium for an economy because it creates negative externalities.

Suggested Citation

  • Mariassunta Giannetti & Guanmin Liao & Jiaxing You & Xiaoyun Yu, 2021. "The Externalities of Corruption: Evidence from Entrepreneurial Firms in China," Review of Finance, European Finance Association, vol. 25(3), pages 629-667.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:revfin:v:25:y:2021:i:3:p:629-667.
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Wei Jiang & Kui Wang & Kevin Zheng Zhou, 2023. "How Political Ties and Green Innovation Co-evolve in China: Alignment with Institutional Development and Environmental Pollution," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 186(4), pages 739-760, September.
    2. Kshitiz Shrestha & Jorge Martinez‐Vazquez & Charles Hankla, 2023. "Political decentralization and corruption: Exploring the conditional role of parties," Economics and Politics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 35(1), pages 411-439, March.
    3. Zhou, Zhifang & Han, Shangjie & Huang, Zhiying & Cheng, Xu, 2023. "Anti-corruption and corporate pollution mitigation: Evidence from China," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 208(C).
    4. Wu, Kai & Liu, Jiming, 2022. "Purifying political ecology: How anti-corruption campaign affects capital structure decisions?," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).
    5. Chen, Shuai & Ge, Erqi, 2022. "The Anti-Corruption Campaign and the Inter-Generational Transmission of Working in Bureaucracy: Evidence from China," GLO Discussion Paper Series 1159, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    6. Han, Linsong & Li, Xun & Xu, Gang, 2022. "Anti-corruption and poverty alleviation: Evidence from China," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 203(C), pages 150-172.
    7. Qi, Yu & Yu, Jinliang & Yang, Shubo & Xie, Xiaoyi, 2022. "Local government consumption and firm performance: Evidence from the "TPCs" in China," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 80(C).
    8. Chen Ma & Maoyong Cheng & Gerald J. Lobo, 2024. "How Do Tax Agents Respond to Anti-corruption Intensity?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 190(1), pages 137-164, February.
    9. Colonnelli, Emanuele & Lagaras, Spyridon & Ponticelli, Jacopo & Prem, Mounu & Tsoutsoura, Margarita, 2022. "Revealing corruption: Firm and worker level evidence from Brazil," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 143(3), pages 1097-1119.
    10. Ding, Haoyuan & Hu, Yichuan & Kim, Kenneth A. & Xie, Mi, 2023. "Relationship-based debt financing of Chinese private sector firms: The role of social connections to banks versus political connections," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    11. Hassan, M. Kabir & Karim, Md. Sydul & Kozlowski, Steven E., 2022. "Implications of public corruption for local firms: Evidence from corporate debt maturity," Journal of Financial Stability, Elsevier, vol. 58(C).
    12. Kong, Gaowen & Huang, Jiating & Ma, Guangyuan, 2023. "Anti-corruption and within-firm pay gap: Evidence from China," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    13. Ling Zhu & Dongmin Kong, 2023. "Corruption and privatization: Evidence from a natural experiment in China," Economics of Transition and Institutional Change, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 31(1), pages 217-239, January.
    14. Chen, Shuai & Ge, Erqi, 2022. "The Anti-Corruption Campaign and the Inter-Generational Transmission of Working in Bureaucracy: Evidence from China," IZA Discussion Papers 15569, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    15. Wei Jiang & Daokang Luo & Liwen W.L. Wang & Kevin Zheng Zhou, 2024. "Foreign ownership and bribery in Chinese listed firms: An institutional perspective," Post-Print hal-04432029, HAL.
    16. Wenwu Cai & Xiaofeng Quan & Gary Gang Tian, 2023. "Local Corruption and Trade Credit: Evidence from an Emerging Market," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 185(3), pages 563-594, July.
    17. Onal, Bunyamin, 2023. "Do politically connected directors play an information role under policy uncertainty?," Journal of Multinational Financial Management, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    18. John M. Griffin & Clark Liu & Tao Shu, 2022. "Is the Chinese Anticorruption Campaign Authentic? Evidence from Corporate Investigations," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 68(10), pages 7248-7273, October.
    19. Kong, Dongmin & Zhu, Ling & Wang, Xin, 2022. "Anti-corruption and CEO compensation: Evidence from a natural experiment in China," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 106(C).
    20. Zhaohua Li & Xiaofei Pan, 2023. "Relationship investment and local corruption environment: Evidence from China," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 63(4), pages 4597-4628, December.
    21. Florackis, Chris & Fu, Xi & Wang, Jingjing, 2023. "Political connections, environmental violations and punishment: Evidence from heavily polluting firms," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    22. Chao He & Lawrence Kryzanowski & Yunfei Zhao, 2023. "Political connections of Chinese fund management companies and fund performance," The Financial Review, Eastern Finance Association, vol. 58(3), pages 597-627, August.
    23. Huang, Chenghao & Jin, Zhi & Tian, Siyang & Wu, Eliza, 2023. "The real effects of corruption on M&A flows: Evidence from China's anti-corruption campaign," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 150(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Corruption; Corporate governance; Capital and labor allocation; China;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D22 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Firm Behavior: Empirical Analysis
    • D62 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Externalities
    • G30 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - General
    • L20 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - General
    • O12 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Microeconomic Analyses of Economic Development
    • P26 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Socialist and Transition Economies - - - Property Rights

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