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Pyramid Business Groups in East Asia: Insurance or Tunneling?

Author

Listed:
  • Obata, Seki
  • 小幡, 績
  • オバタ, セキ

Abstract

A business group with a pyramid ownership structure is a prevalent form in developing countries. I show that the propping up function of pyramid groups exists only in countries without good investor protection where minority shareholders could be expropriated with low cost. A pyramid business group is not insurance mechanism for all group firms. My predictions are supported by the data on East Asian firms in 1990s. Additionally, I find that the pyramid ownership does not affect the valuation of non-distressed firms. This might be the reason that the outsider invested in the group bottom firms before the Asian Crisis.

Suggested Citation

  • Obata, Seki & 小幡, 績 & オバタ, セキ, 2003. "Pyramid Business Groups in East Asia: Insurance or Tunneling?," CEI Working Paper Series 2002-13, Center for Economic Institutions, Institute of Economic Research, Hitotsubashi University.
    • Handle: RePEc:hit:hitcei:2002-13
    Note: First draft: April 2001; This version: March 2003
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    File URL: https://hermes-ir.lib.hit-u.ac.jp/hermes/ir/re/13923/wp2002-13a.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Bowo Setiyono & Amine Tarazi, 2018. "Does Diversity of Bank Board Members Affect Performance and Risk? Evidence from an Emerging Market," CSR, Sustainability, Ethics & Governance, in: Belén Díaz Díaz & Samuel O. Idowu & Philip Molyneux (ed.), Corporate Governance in Banking and Investor Protection, chapter 0, pages 185-218, Springer.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Pyramid ownership; Business group; Tunneling; Investor Protection;
    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
    • L22 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Firm Organization and Market Structure
    • O16 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Financial Markets; Saving and Capital Investment; Corporate Finance and Governance

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