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Negative Investment in China: Financing Constraints and Restructuring versus Growth

Author

Listed:
  • Sai Ding
  • Alessandra Guariglia
  • John Knight
  • Junhong Yang

Abstract

This paper addresses an interesting phenomenon in China’s investment pattern: despite high aggregate investment and remarkable economic growth, negative investment is commonly found at the microeconomic level. Using a large firm-level data set mainly made up of unlisted companies, we show that private firms undertake negative investment in order to raise capital. We also find that, owing to overinvestment and misinvestment in the past, state-owned firms have had to restructure by getting rid of obsolete capital in the face of increasing competition and hardening budget constraints. Finally, rapid economic growth counterweighs both effects for all types of firms, with a larger impact in the private and foreign sectors. Thus, the needs to redeploy resources and to overcome capital market imperfections help to explain the negative investment of many Chinese firms.

Suggested Citation

  • Sai Ding & Alessandra Guariglia & John Knight & Junhong Yang, 2021. "Negative Investment in China: Financing Constraints and Restructuring versus Growth," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 69(4), pages 1411-1449.
    • Handle: RePEc:ucp:ecdecc:doi:10.1086/706825
    DOI: 10.1086/706825
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    Cited by:

    1. Sai Ding & Puyang Sun & Wei Jiang, 2019. "The Effect of Foreign Entry Regulation on Downstream Productivity: Microeconomic Evidence from China," Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 121(3), pages 925-959, July.
    2. Paul Mizen & Serafeim Tsoukas, 2014. "What promotes greater use of the corporate bond market? A study of the issuance behaviour of firms in Asia," Oxford Economic Papers, Oxford University Press, vol. 66(1), pages 227-253, January.
    3. Sai Ding & Puyang Sun & Wei Jiang, 2016. "The Effect of Import Competition on Firm Productivity and Innovation: Does the Distance to Technology Frontier Matter?," Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, Department of Economics, University of Oxford, vol. 78(2), pages 197-227, April.
    4. Minjia Chen & Alessandra Guariglia, 2011. "Financial constraints and firm productivity in China: do liquidity and export behavior make a difference?," Discussion Papers 11/09, University of Nottingham, GEP.
    5. Vorada Limjaroenrat, 2016. "Firm-level Perspective of Thailand's Low Investment Puzzle," PIER Discussion Papers 42., Puey Ungphakorn Institute for Economic Research, revised Aug 2016.
    6. Natasha Agarwal & Chris Milner & Alejandro Riaño, 2011. "Credit Constraints and FDI Spillovers in China," Discussion Papers 11/21, University of Nottingham, GEP.
    7. Aron Berg & Pehr-Johan Norbäck & Lars Persson, 2017. "Cross-border mergers & acquisitions with financially constrained owners," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer;Institut für Weltwirtschaft (Kiel Institute for the World Economy), vol. 153(3), pages 433-456, August.
    8. Sai Ding & John Knight & Xiao Zhang, 2019. "Does China overinvest? Evidence from a panel of Chinese firms," The European Journal of Finance, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 25(6), pages 489-507, April.
    9. repec:dau:papers:123456789/13772 is not listed on IDEAS
    10. Sai Ding & Alessandra Guariglia & Richard Harris, 2016. "The determinants of productivity in Chinese large and medium-sized industrial firms, 1998–2007," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 45(2), pages 131-155, April.
    11. Yang, Junhong & Wu, Yu & Huang, Bihong, 2023. "Digital finance and financial literacy: Evidence from Chinese households," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 156(C).
    12. Vorada Limjaroenrat, 2016. "Firm-level Perspective of Thailand's Low Investment Puzzle," PIER Discussion Papers 42, Puey Ungphakorn Institute for Economic Research.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • G3 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance
    • O16 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Financial Markets; Saving and Capital Investment; Corporate Finance and Governance
    • O53 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economywide Country Studies - - - Asia including Middle East

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