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Political Connection and Firm Value

Author

Listed:
  • James S. Ang

    (Professor of Finance at the College of Business, Florida State University)

  • David K. Ding

    (Professor of Finance at the School of Economics and Finance, Massey University, New Zealand and at the Lee Kong Chian School of Business, Singapore Management University)

  • Tiong Yang Thong

    (Lecturer of Finance at the Lee Kong Chian School of Business, Singapore Management University)

Abstract

We study the effect of political connection (PC) on company value in an environment where low PC is due to better institutions and not confounded by favorable social/cultural factors. We find that in Singapore, the only country that fits this description, PC in general adds little to the value of a company. However, in industries that are subject to more stringent government regulations, PC appears to be somewhat important. Robustness checks show that alternative PC variables give rise to similar results, and the addition of control variables do not drastically change the findings. Politically connected firms have higher managerial ownership and tend to be smaller than non-PC firms, rendering them more susceptible to poorer governance practices. We show that the presence of politically connected directors somewhat neutralizes such potential negative effects. PC firms are associated with good governance practices such as nonduality in their chairman and chief executive officer positions and fewer executive directors. © 2013 Asian Development Bank and Asian Development Bank Institute.

Suggested Citation

  • James S. Ang & David K. Ding & Tiong Yang Thong, 2013. "Political Connection and Firm Value," Asian Development Review, MIT Press, vol. 30(2), pages 131-166, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:tpr:adbadr:v:30:y:2013:i:2:p:131-166
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    Cited by:

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    2. Daeheon Choi & Chune Young Chung & Soon-Ihl Samuel Hong & Jason Young, 2020. "The Role of Political Collusion in Corporate Performance in the Korean Market," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(5), pages 1-18, March.
    3. Vincent Tawiah & Abdulrasheed Zakari & Yan Wang, 2022. "Partisan political connections, ethnic tribalism, and firm performance," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 58(4), pages 1331-1362, May.
    4. Jaison Caetano da Silva & Wlamir Gonçalves Xavier & Cinara Gambirage & Silvio Parodi Oliveira Camilo, 2018. "The Influence of Political Connections on the Cost of Capital and the Performance of Companies Listed on B3," Brazilian Business Review, Fucape Business School, vol. 15(4), pages 317-330, July.
    5. Pochara Arayakarnkul & Pattanaporn Chatjuthamard & Suntharee Lhaopadchan & Sirimon Treepongkaruna, 2022. "Corporate governance, board connections and remuneration," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 29(4), pages 795-808, July.
    6. Nnadi, Modestus I. & Sorwar, Ghulam & Eskandari, Rasol & Chizema, Amon, 2021. "Political connections and seasoned equity offerings," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 133(C).
    7. Sharma, Piyush & Cheng, Louis T.W. & Leung, T.Y., 2020. "Impact of political connections on Chinese export firms' performance – Lessons for other emerging markets," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 106(C), pages 24-34.
    8. Liu, Xiaoyan & Zhao, Rui & Guo, Mengmeng, 2023. "CEO turnover, political connections, and firm performance: Evidence from China," Emerging Markets Review, Elsevier, vol. 55(C).
    9. Chune Young Chung & Jung Hoon Byun & Jason Young, 2019. "Corporate Political Ties and Firm Value: Comparative Analysis in the Korean Market," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(2), pages 1-25, January.
    10. Bian, Wenlong & Ji, Yang & Wang, Peng, 2021. "Political connections and banks' credit smoothing behavior: Incentives and costs," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    11. 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.
    12. Wong, Wai-Yan & Hooy, Chee-Wooi, 2018. "Do types of political connection affect firm performance differently?," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 297-317.
    13. Christophe J. Godlewski & Hong Nhung Le, 2024. "Family ties and firm performance empirical evidence from East Asia," Post-Print hal-04435944, HAL.
    14. Thanakorn Suriyapongprapai & Pattanaporn Chatjuthamard & Arnat Leemakdej & Sirimon Treepongkaruna, 2022. "Stakeholder engagement, military ties, and firm performance," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 29(2), pages 469-479, March.
    15. Rodolphe Durand & Robert M. Grant & Tammy L. Madsen & Sinziana Dorobantu & Aseem Kaul & Bennet Zelner, 2017. "Nonmarket strategy research through the lens of new institutional economics: An integrative review and future directions," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 38(1), pages 114-140, January.
    16. Wang, Yizhong & Yao, Chengxue & Kang, Di, 2019. "Political connections and firm performance: Evidence from government officials' site visits," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 57(C).
    17. Nur Farrahanie Ahmad Tarmizi & Rayenda Khresna Brahmana, 2022. "The Impact of Political Connections on Firm Performance: Evidence from Upstream Oil and Gas Companies," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 11(11), pages 1-12, November.
    18. Saidatou Dicko, 2021. "The Synergistic Financial Effect of Corporate Political Activities: The Case of Listed Canadian Companies," International Business Research, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 14(1), pages 102-102, January.
    19. Saidatou Dicko, 2016. "The Impact of Political Connections on the Performance and Solvency of Canadian Financial Institutions," International Journal of Economics and Finance, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 8(11), pages 1-11, November.
    20. Tran Thai Ha Nguyen & Massoud Moslehpour & Thi Thuy Van Vo & Wing-Keung Wong, 2020. "State Ownership and Risk-Taking Behavior: An Empirical Approach to Get Better Profitability, Investment, and Trading Strategies for Listed Corporates in Vietnam," Economies, MDPI, vol. 8(2), pages 1-21, June.
    21. Budi Wahyono, 2023. "Do political connections affect the market reaction to firms’ inclusion in or exclusion from the Sharia index?," Eurasian Business Review, Springer;Eurasia Business and Economics Society, vol. 13(4), pages 835-854, December.
    22. Anutchanat Jaroenjitrkam & Sakkakom Maneenop & Sirimon Treepongkaruna, 2024. "Corporate governance, policies, and outcomes: The appointment of military connected boards and sustainability," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 31(1), pages 448-471, January.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    political connection; corporate governance; firm value; Singapore;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G32 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Financing Policy; Financial Risk and Risk Management; Capital and Ownership Structure; Value of Firms; Goodwill
    • G34 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Mergers; Acquisitions; Restructuring; Corporate Governance
    • O53 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economywide Country Studies - - - Asia including Middle East

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