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Investment decisions and the soft budget constraint: evidence from Hungarian manufacturing firms

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  • Colombo, Emilio
  • Stanca, Luca

Abstract

This paper investigates the investment behaviour of a large panel of Hungarian firms in the period 1989–99, in order to assess the impact of institutional and regulatory changes on the efficiency of credit allocation. We find that the role of financial factors for investment decisions has changed significantly after the introduction of major financial reforms, and that firms were affected differently depending on their ownership type. Reforms have hardened the budget constraint of private domestic firms, particularly small ones, and reduced informational problems for foreign-owned firms. State-owned firms remained subject to a soft budget constraint. In particular, small state firms became more sensitive to financial conditions, whereas large state firms were unaffected and kept operating under a soft budget constraint.

Suggested Citation

  • Colombo, Emilio & Stanca, Luca, 2006. "Investment decisions and the soft budget constraint: evidence from Hungarian manufacturing firms," MPRA Paper 18708, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    • Handle: RePEc:pra:mprapa:18708
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    Cited by:

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    2. Mykhayliv, Dariya & Zauner, Klaus G., 2017. "The impact of equity ownership groups on investment: Evidence from Ukraine," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 64(C), pages 20-25.
    3. Milos Markovic & Michael A. Stemmer, 2017. "Firm Growth Dynamics and Financial Constraints: Evidence from Serbian Firms," Documents de travail du Centre d'Economie de la Sorbonne 17012, Université Panthéon-Sorbonne (Paris 1), Centre d'Economie de la Sorbonne.
    4. Zinych, Nataliya & Odening, Martin, 2009. "How Costly are (Agricultural) Investments during Economic Transition? A Critical Literature Appraisal," 2009 Conference, August 16-22, 2009, Beijing, China 50319, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    5. Mykhayliv, Dariya & Zauner, Klaus G., 2013. "Investment behavior and ownership structures in Ukraine: Soft budget constraints, government ownership and private benefits of control," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 41(1), pages 265-278.
    6. Ismail, Mohd Adib & ibrahim, Mansor & zainal, Mohd & Yusoff, Mohammed, 2013. "Was Bail-Out A Success? Evidence from the Investment-Cash Flow Relationship," Jurnal Ekonomi Malaysia, Faculty of Economics and Business, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, vol. 47(1), pages 31-40.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Investment; financial constraints; soft budget constraint; transition;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G31 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Capital Budgeting; Fixed Investment and Inventory Studies
    • P31 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Socialist Institutions and Their Transitions - - - Socialist Enterprises and Their Transitions

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